INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his suggested alternatives are for income generation for poppy growers in  (a) Helmand province and  (b) other Afghan provinces.

Hilary Benn: After decades of conflict, the lack of investment in basic infrastructure, poor governance and drought, much of Afghanistan's productivity has been lost or re-directed towards poppy cultivation and drug trafficking. As 70 per cent. of the population are rural, agriculture provides the best opportunity for alternative income generation.
	Helmand province was once one of the most agriculturally advanced and productive areas in Afghanistan. It might have the potential to be so again. For examples, the DFID-funded research into alternative livelihoods programme (RALF) is looking at the export potential of grapes, tomatoes, mushrooms egg plants and okra in Helmand and has made contacts with raisin importers, which involves organic and fair trade. The programme is also evaluating at least 10 different small scale agri-processing industries such as tomato paste production.
	Growth in small and medium enterprises and construction has the potential to bring new employment opportunities in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. DFID supports the micro finance investment support facility programme, which provides much needed credit for investment in agriculture, manufacturing, retail and service industries. To date, the programme has brought financial services for some 161,000 people in and around half of the provinces of Afghanistan.
	The development of Afghanistan's natural resources could also provide alternative jobs. Afghanistan possesses energy and mineral resources, many of which are underdeveloped, such as coal, gas, oil, precious metals and semi-precious stones. DFID is funding the British Geological Survey to strengthen the Afghan Geological Survey to develop and promote the mining sector.

Angola

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support is  (a) provided and  (b) planned for (i) land mine clearance and (ii) transport infrastructure developments in Angola.

Hilary Benn: DFID has provided over £1.1 million for land mine clearance work in Angola since 2003. A further £400,000 will be spent this year to support land mine clearance activities in the country.
	DFID is currently funding the work of two mine action NGOs operating in Angola—the Halo Trust and the Mine Awareness Group. Most of this work is taking place in areas where humanitarian operations are ongoing in order to allow UN Agencies such as the World Food Programme to access populations in need, and to do so safely.
	DFID's aid programme in Angola is focused on providing support to meet urgent humanitarian needs. Funding for transport infrastructure has been made in the context of support provided for humanitarian programming. DFID provided £1.15 million to the WFP last year to support the construction of bridges to enable quicker humanitarian access to populations in need. This support has also reduced costs because aid can now travel by road instead of only by air transport.
	Support for infrastructure development in southern Africa has been identified as a priority area in DFID's southern Africa regional plan. Angola will benefit from this work, which is currently at the design stage.

Darfur

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the joint UN-African Union technical assessment mission report on Darfur.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations-African Union technical assessment mission recently returned from Darfur. Their report has yet to be released, though it is expected before the end of July. We expect that it will make recommendations on how the UN can support the African Union, and ultimately take over in Darfur. We do not know yet what form the report will take. It may be an oral briefing, a letter from Kofi Annan or a formal written report. Assuming any written report is made public, I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Malawi

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding the Government are providing for water and sanitation projects in Malawi.

Hilary Benn: DFID is co-financing a Concern Universal project with the European Union Water Facility. The project is in two districts of Malawi and will deliver 550 boreholes, household sanitation, and training, and help build capacity in the districts. DFID is contributing £620,000 over five years, which is 25 per cent. of the overall funding.
	DFID has agreed to co-finance a project in 13 districts of Malawi if the NGO consortium involved can secure European Union Water Facility funding. The consortium of six NGOs is led by Concern Universal and also includes Oxfam, Emmanuel International and World Vision. This project will work with local government and is expected to deliver over 3,000 functioning boreholes and safe sanitation for 250,000 people. DFID has agreed to contribute £860,000 over five years which is 25 per cent. of the overall funding.
	DFID is funding WaterAid to complete a nationwide digital map showing who has and does not have access to a safe water supply. This tool will help the Government and others to concentrate their efforts on supplying water to those who have no access at present. DFID is spending £65,000 on this work.
	As part of support to primary education, DFID has been funding improvements to primary school water supply and sanitation for the past nine years. In 2005, DFID spent approximately £1,000,000 on primary school water supply and sanitation in Malawi. Apart from their health benefits, the availability of latrines and their sensitive siting is one of a number of factors that can help keep girls at school.

Somalia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid programmes are supported by his Department in Somalia; and by which local administrations aid is delivered.

Hilary Benn: DFID has a rising aid programme in Somalia. Subject to political and other developments within Somalia, this year we plan to disburse approximately £15.5 million, of which around 40 per cent. is likely to be spent in Somaliland. This is planned to rise further next year, again with a substantial portion benefiting Somaliland—either as support for specific Somaliland activities or as part of a Somalia-wide programme.
	Our programmes in Somalia are focused around three objectives agreed:
	i. To help achieve a just and viable political settlement in Somalia. Programmes include a Dialogue for Peace project and Democratisation project through WSP International.
	ii. To work with others to establish the basis for effective development assistance, with an initial focus on improving governance and service delivery. Programmes include a partnership agreement with UNICEF and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for support to primary education and a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Rule of Law Programme supporting re-establishment and strengthening of police services and justice systems.
	iii. To ensure timely provision of humanitarian relief. For example, we provided approximately £13 million in response to the recent drought in the Horn of Africa, specifically for relief in Somalia.
	We do not provide bilateral aid directly to any Somali authority; however, projects under the objectives above, undertaken by the UN and NGOs, involve collaboration with local and regional authorities and the Transitional Federal Government in their delivery.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Foreign Travel

Philip Davies: To ask the Solicitor-General how much was spent on foreign travel by the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last eight years.

Mike O'Brien: The Law Officers' Departments have spent the following amounts on foreign travel in the last eight years. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand, or hundred if under 1,000. All foreign travel by Ministers and officials is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Crown Prosecution Service  Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office  Serious Fraud Office  Treasury Solicitor's Department  Attorney General's Office  HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate 
			 1998-99 25,000 (1)— 55,000 8,000 21,000 — 
			 1999-2000 39,000 (1)— 114,000 200 15,000 — 
			 2000-01 77,000 (1)— 191,000 600 25,000 — 
			 2001-02 151,000 (1)— 203,000 5,000 28,000 — 
			 2002-03 166,000 (1)— 110,000 7,000 61,000 — 
			 2003-04 281,000 (1)— 204,000 8,000 82,000 — 
			 2004-05 135,000 (1)— 186,000 12,000 23,000 1,000 
			 2005-06 166,000 20,000 (2)317,000 14,000 63,000 — 
			 (1 )RCPO was established on 18 April 2005. (2 )Provisional figures pending finalisation of 2005-06 accounts.

Law Officers Departmental Report

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many copies of the Law Officers departmental report 2006, were produced; at what cost; to whom copies were sent; at what cost; who was consulted prior to publication; how members of the public can obtain copies; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Stationery Office produced 780 copies of Cm 6821, "Law Officers' Departments Report 2006". Of the 780 copies, the Law Officers' Departments received 320 copies at a cost of £4,248. The 320 were allocated as follows:
	
		
			   Number of copies allocated 
			 Attorney-General's Office 20 
			 Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) 180 
			 HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate 20 
			 Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office 50 
			 Serious Fraud Office 25 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Office 25 
		
	
	Copies of the report are circulated within departments, including the 42 CPS geographical areas, and to criminal justice system partners. No central records are kept of individual recipients or cost of distribution.
	The report is prepared within all the Law Officers Departments. Treasury and other CJS Departments are consulted during preparation.
	A hard copy of the report can be obtained through the Stationery Office priced £14.75. It is also available on the Law Officers departments websites.

TRANSPORT

A303

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the level of traffic flow on the A303 during the 2012 Olympics.

Gillian Merron: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) will be responsible for identifying the roads to be included in the Olympic route network and considering their impact on traffic flows, as well as on the roads adjoining them. The ODA will also consider the general traffic flow caused by Olympic spectators.

A303

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the economic effects on the south-west region of the implementation of the published scheme for improvements to the A303 at Stonehenge in the first year after construction.

Stephen Ladyman: Our estimate of the economic benefits of this scheme does not distinguish between the economic benefits to the south-west and to other regions.

Air Traffic Control

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports he has received on the possible effects of wind turbines and wind farms on air traffic control radars; and what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority on the matter.

Gillian Merron: On 3 July 2006, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Civil Aviation Publication (CAP 764) entitled "Policy and Guidelines on Wind Turbines". This guidance provides assistance to aviation stakeholders when addressing wind energy related issues and includes a description of the various areas of aviation, including radar, which have the potential to be affected by wind turbine developments. The guidance is available on the CAA website at www.caa.co.uk/cap764
	We have regular meetings with various stakeholders, including representatives from the CAA, to discuss a range of issues.

Asylum Seekers

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many asylum seekers have applied for  (a) full and  (b) provisional driving licences in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not retain the information requested.

Automatic Identification System

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to tackle the vulnerability of automatic identification systems to pirates.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has already advised masters of UK and Red Ensign Group registered shipping that they may temporarily cease broadcasting automatic identification system signals when in open waters, if they judge that the security of the vessel is being compromised by them. More detailed advice to masters on this issue is contained in the Department's counter piracy note issued to mariners, published in November 2005, as Marine Guidance Note 298.
	The Department has also reached an agreement with an internet provider of AIS information to introduce a package of risk mitigation measures including a time delay and a reduction in the quantity of information accessible from the site.

Cycling

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of the introduction of regulations requiring all  (a) new bicycles to be fitted with operational lights and  (b) purchasers to be provided with safety helmets; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: No formal assessment has been made of the merits or otherwise of introducing regulations to require all new bicycles to be fitted with operational lights and all purchasers to be provided with safety helmets.
	Existing regulations require the use of lights on pedal cycles between sunset and sunrise: non-compliance is an offence. Requiring the fitment of operational lights at point of sale would not ensure that the lights were thereafter maintained in working order, nor would it ensure that riders turned them on. However, such regulation would deprive cyclists of choice, as there are several legally acceptable varieties of cycle lights, ranging from dynamo to battery-operated and steady to flashing, from which cyclists are currently free to choose.
	Our policy on cycle helmets is to persuade cyclists to protect themselves by using them, but providing helmets with each new bicycle would not guarantee that they would be used. The Government will keep their policies in this—as in all areas—under review in the light of discussion in Parliament and elsewhere.

Cycling

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to promote cycling in cities outside London; and how much was paid in grants supporting the promotion of cycling in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: Funding for cycling outside London is primarily provided through the local transport plan system which funds local highway authorities. We do not have a breakdown between cities and other areas. Expenditure on cycling outside London for the past five years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  LTP spend on cycling schemes as reported by local  highway authorities 
			   Spend on cycling (£000) 
			 2001-02 29,583 
			 2002-03 39,889 
			 2003-04 32,128 
			 2004-05 39,891 
			 2005-06 35,387 
		
	
	In addition, we created Cycling England in March 2005 with a budget of £5 million per annum to work with local authorities and others to co-ordinate the development of cycling. The Secretary of State recently announced a doubling of its annual budget to £10 million per annum for the next three years. Cycling England is investing £8.4 million over three years in six cycle demonstration towns—Aylesbury, Brighton, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster.
	In addition the Department has spent over £12 million on the links to school programme between 2003-04 and 2004-05. We also provided £4.47 million between 2002-03 and 2003-04 through our cycling projects fund to support nearly 300 local cycling projects across England.

Bus Routes

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many applications  (a) to change and  (b) to modify bus routes have been made to the traffic commissioners in each area of England in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  on how many occasions the traffic commissioners have intervened  (a) to prevent and  (b) to modify a change to a bus route of which they had been notified in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: holding answers 14 July 2006
	The traffic commissioner must accept all properly completed applications to register or vary a local bus service. New registrations can only be refused where the operator concerned has a condition on their licence which prevents them from providing the service as applied for.
	Information on the number of new and varied local bus service registrations is published in the traffic commissioners annual report. Copies of the publications are available in the House of Commons Library and can also be found on the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=9759&l=3

Child Seats (Cars)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for publicising the new regulations on the use of child seats in cars.

Stephen Ladyman: Advertising consisting of press, online, and radio activity will commence on 24 July and will run until mid-September explaining the change to the law and encouraging people to ring our campaign hotline for further information.
	PR activity will run from week commencing 17 July beginning with the GMTV car safety week with features on TV each morning. Thereafter, we shall continue to target national and local press and broadcast media, online media and magazines until the end of September, encouraging features as children return to school.
	Road safety officers in local authorities will also be raising awareness of the new regulations. Stakeholder and brand partner materials have been developed for local use including posters, leaflets and online creative, full details of which are available on the THINK! road safety website—www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk—along with full details of the new regulations.
	Commercial partners are also lending support—Mothercare, Halfords and Toys R Us will be raising awareness of the new regulations and disseminating literature to their customers.

Congestion (Liverpool)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to relieve congestion in the Hall lane strategic gateway; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The local highway authority, Liverpool city council, is responsible for tackling congestion and the delivery of improvements in the Hall lane strategic gateway.
	We provisionally approved the Hall lane improvement scheme for funding through the local transport plan programme in 2000 and the Edge lane west scheme in 2004. It is for the city council to obtain the necessary statutory powers for the implementation of these schemes before seeking final funding approval from the Department.

Correspondence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reason is for the delay in his reply to the letter of 24 April 2006 from Wiltshire county council about rail services in Wiltshire.

Derek Twigg: My officials replied on 12 July. I apologise for the delay.

Crossrail

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on the Crossrail project in each year since 2004-05.

Derek Twigg: The amounts spent on the Crossrail project in each year since 2004-05 are shown in the following table. The figures provided set out expenditure by both Cross London Rail Links Ltd, and the Department for Transport.
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Financial year  CLRL costs  DfT costs 
			 2004-5 44.4 2,657,209 
			 2005-06 41.4 3,664,948 
			 2006-07 (to June 06) 21.1 944,571

Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 33W, on the Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority, when he expects to provide the substantive reply.

Stephen Ladyman: Our intention is to determine this case and issue the substantive reply before August.

Detrunking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1267W, on detrunking, what additional funds have been provided to each local authority in the 2006-07 financial year to meet the cost of maintaining the detrunked roads; what proportion of that authority's total allocated funds for its local transport plan the additional amount represents; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The data required to make the calculation can be found on the Department's website.
	The breakdown of routine maintenance funding for 2006-07 for each local authority in England with a detrunked road can be found in the maintenance of roads grant determination 2006. The grant information is available on the Department's website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_611492.hcsp
	The additional capital maintenance funding provided to each of these local authorities for their detrunked roads can be found in the local transport plan settlement decision letters, issued in December 2005. The letters also contain details of each authority's local transport capital settlement for financial year 2006-07. These letters are also available on the Department's website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/qroups/dft_localtrans/documents/divisionhomepage/610730.hcsp.

Digital Tachographs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when driver cards for digital tachographs will be available in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: Driver cards for digital tachographs have been available in this country for over a year. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency issued its first such card on 5 July 2005.

Driving Licences

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facilities there are for non-UK nationals to obtain a driving licence from a local Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Stephen Ladyman: The agency operates a premium checking facility at four local offices located at Wimbledon, Glasgow, Nottingham and DVLA reception area in Swansea. It is available to holders of full EEA, Gibraltar and designated countries driving licences exchanging their licences for a UK one. The designated countries are:
	Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea(1), Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.
	Applicants opting to use this service must hold a current passport from one of the countries referred to above. In these circumstances staff will check their application for accuracy and completeness and return their passport to them over the counter. A fee of £4 is levied for this service.
	(1)Motorcycle entitlement from the Republic of Korea is not exchangeable.

First Great Western

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he was first informed of First Great Western's plans for increases in peak-time travel prices.

Derek Twigg: The Department was first informed of First Great Western's intended fares strategy in its franchise bid received in September 2005. First Great Western has already implemented a new range of fares which offer significantly lower prices than anything previously available for both first and standard class travel for passengers who book ahead. In addition, since the commencement of the franchise in April, First Great Western has obtained secure station accreditation status at a further five stations as part of a continuing programme and have also signed two major contracts worth nearly £150 million which will significantly improve the interiors and technical reliability of the high speed train fleet over the next 18 months.

Foreign Vehicle (Road Traffic Offences)

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department is taking to ensure that owners of foreign vehicles guilty of traffic offences in the UK pay their fines.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government are aware that it can be too easy for non-UK resident drivers to avoid paying fines when found guilty of traffic offences. We are determined to address this and enabling provisions for a new system of graduated fixed penalties are contained in the Road Safety Bill currently before Parliament. These provisions will also allow enforcement agencies to take an immediate cash deposit, equal to a fixed penalty notice or court- imposed fine, from foreign drivers who commit offences, bringing us into line with our continental neighbours.
	The graduated fixed penalties and deposit scheme, could be in place during next year and should improve compliance through increased deterrence as well as providing for more effective enforcement.

Freight Containers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1268W, on freight containers, what proportion of the containers in use on the UK's roads will be affected by these changes.

Stephen Ladyman: Directive 96/53/EC effectively prohibits the carriage of conventional 45ft ISO deep sea containers. In 2004 there were an estimated 142,000 of these containers in circulation worldwide—around 1.4 per cent. of the deep sea container market—but we have no data on the numbers that may be in use on UK roads.
	As the directive includes a 10-year derogation until 31 December 2006 which permits the carriage of such containers on oversize vehicles in service before implementation, there are expected to be few in number, and that those containers still in circulation can be used elsewhere other than on the EU road network.

Government Car Fleet

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what safety considerations are taken into account when choosing Government vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Transport is a member of the European new car assessment programme (EuroNCAP). Performance against the EuroNCAP tests is one of the criteria the Government Car and Despatch Agency uses when choosing suitable official cars.

Heysham M6 Link

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Heysham M6 Link has received funding approval.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering Lancashire county council's business case for the inclusion of the Heysham to M6 link road in the Department's programme of major schemes. A decision on programme entry for this scheme and funding from the Department will only be taken once we have resolved a number of appraisal issues. Should the scheme be approved for programme entry, our response of 6 July to the north-west region on Regional Funding Allocations confirms that we would expect to provide funding for this scheme during the period 2009-10 to 2015-16 but only subject to it securing all necessary statutory approvals.

High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is his policy to prevent coaches from using high occupancy vehicle lanes.

Stephen Ladyman: The issue of whether to allow coaches to use high occupancy (HOV) lanes is still being considered. Coaches are clearly high occupancy vehicles but they are speed restricted, which could therefore impede the flow of traffic in the HOV lane. A key consideration is whether the proposed HOV lane is on the outside of the motorway (as proposed for M1 junction 7 to 10) or the inside of the motorway (as proposed for M62/M606).
	A final decision will only be made once we have finalised the exact details of each scheme and we have satisfied ourselves that the lanes will operate safely.

Left-hand Drive Vehicles

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the percentage of left-hand drive vehicles on British roads; what estimate he has made of the proportion of road accidents which involved left-hand drive vehicles in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the number or percentage of left-hand drive vehicles on British roads is not available. In 2005, there were 1,760 personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving left-hand drive foreign registered vehicles. The total number of personal road injury accidents was 198,735. The proportion of road accidents involving left-hand drive foreign registered vehicles was just under 1 per cent.

Rail Services

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the east coast main line south of York will be operating at full capacity when additional train paths are allocated to GNER on the Leeds to London section; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: A route utilisation strategy for the east coast main line is being prepared by Network Rail. The analysis that will underpin this strategy will include an assessment of the capacity of the route, and an assessment of the most effective use of that capacity. The consultation draft for this strategy is expected to be published before the end of this year.

Rail Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work he has commissioned on the development of a high speed rail link from London to Scotland.

Derek Twigg: The Government made a manifesto commitment to look at the feasibility and affordability of a new north-south high speed link. The Government have committed to take this forward in the development of a long-term strategy for the railways, drawing on Sir Rod Eddington's advice on the long-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth. In so doing the Department will draw on a range of evidence and commissioned work.

Rail Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 264W, on South West Trains, when he expects to respond to the letter from the South Hampshire Rail Users Group; and if he will place a copy of his response in the Library.

Derek Twigg: The letter was replied to on 13 July, and a copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Rail Services

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason and upon whose authority King's Cross station was closed for several days recently following a fire on a nearby building site; what provisions are in place to ensure that major transport routes into London are not prematurely or unnecessarily closed; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: These are operational matters for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:
	Mr. John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Rail Services

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to authorise the transfer of railway interchange stations in London from Network Rail to Transport for London; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Department for Transport is currently involved in discussions with Transport for London regarding the manner in which rail interchange stations within London are operated in the future. As these stations are Network Rail's assets, the final arrangements for any transfer would be a matter for Transport for London and Network Rail.

Rail Services

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has given to Transport for London in respect of the operation of services on the East London line after the proposed extension has been completed.

Derek Twigg: The operation of services on the East London line is a matter for Transport for London.

Rail Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on Crossrail; and how much he expects to spend by the end of the 2007-08 financial year.

Derek Twigg: The then Secretary of State allocated £154 million to CLRL for Crossrail in 2001. The amount spent by CLRL is shown in the table, as well as expenditure within the Department for Transport since 2003-04, when the Crossrail hybrid Bill was introduced. In December 2005, the then Secretary of State allocated a further £100 million for the continued development of the project and support of the hybrid Bill. The Department is discussing with CLRL what further sums would be needed for the period to Royal Assent, which is hoped for during 2007.
	
		
			  Financial year  CLRL costs (£ million)  DfT costs (£) 
			 2001-02 5.3 — 
			 2002-03 25.2 — 
			 2003-04 31.5 1,445,019 
			 2004-05 44.4 2,657,209 
			 2005-06 41.4 3,664,948 
			 2006-07 (to June 2006) 21.1 944,571

Rail Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of people riding on the outside of moving trains were reported to the British Transport police in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005; how many have been reported in 2006; what measures are being taken to prevent such incidents; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Information relating to incidents of people riding on the outside of moving trains and reported to the British Transport police is held by the force who can be contacted at:
	British Transport Police
	25 Camden Road
	London NW1 9LN
	E-mail: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk

Road Safety

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents were caused  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly by the driver using a mobile phone in the last period for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information available relates to factors that are judged by the police as having contributed to a road accident in which someone was injured. The number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police that have "Driver using mobile phone" assigned as a contributory factor in 2005 was 429.

Road Safety

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) fatalities and  (b) injuries in road accidents there were in (i) Sunderland city council area and (ii) Houghton and Washington, East constituency in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of  (a) fatalities and  (b) injuries in personal injury road accidents reported to the police in (i) Sunderland local authority and (ii) Houghton and Washington, East constituency in each year from 1997 to 2005 are shown in the table. Constituency level data for 2005 are not yet available.
	
		
			   Sunderland local authority  Houghton and Washington, East constituency 
			   (a) Killed  (b) Injured  (a) Killed  (b) Injured 
			 1997 15 1,460 8 454 
			 1998 11 1,344 5 456 
			 1999 11 1,295 9 421 
			 2000 4 1,342 1 454 
			 2001 8 1,307 6 449 
			 2002 10 1,245 5 406 
			 2003 8 1,338 6 442 
			 2004 8 1,228 5 402 
			 2005 10 1,091 — —

Roads

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which road repair project being carried out by the Highways Agency has been allocated the most funding.

Stephen Ladyman: The M25 Holmesdale tunnel refurbishment project has a total forecasted cost of £70 million. It comprises repairs to the existing road, the tunnel structure and associated mechanical and electrical equipment.

Roadside Checks

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many roadside checks have been carried out on defective brakes during each of the past 24 months; what the nature is of such tests; and what conclusions he has drawn from the results.

Stephen Ladyman: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is responsible for roadside enforcement. Greater detail on the results of their work is published in its effectiveness report which is available on-line at www.vosa.gov.uk.
	The following table is based on financial year and amalgamates roadside checks and fleet checks. The data cannot be broken down further without disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 Prohibitions issued in relation to brakes 24,955 25,357 
			 Percentage of vehicle encounters that resulted in such prohibitions 14.4 13.9 
		
	
	Although visual inspection will identify the majority of potential defects, VOSA staff can also utilise temperature checks and roller brake tester equipment.
	Brake defects are in the top 10 fail items for heavy goods vehicles, trailers and passenger service vehicles at roadside and fleet checks and annual test. Defects in braking systems are a concern.

Stansted Airport

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the new owners of the British Airports Authority on the continued development of a second runway at Stansted airport; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State for Transport has met the chairman of Grupo Ferrovial SA to discuss their plans for BAA.
	On 6 July, ADI, the consortium led by Ferrovial, confirmed its commitment to developing a second runway at Stansted as soon as possible although it would review the costs and plans for the second runway. A press release on this announcement can be found on BAA's website.

Transport Direct

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the value for money of the Transport Direct portal.

Stephen Ladyman: The original business case for Transport Direct recorded three key value for money measures:
	Achieve one million user sessions in the first year of service.
	Achieve 10 million user sessions by the end of 2006.
	10 per cent. of users reassess their travel habits as a result of the information provided by Transport Direct.
	Of these measures:
	The one millionth user session was achieved ten months after soft-launch of the service (soft-launched in July 2004, achieved in May 2005)
	We are on course to achieve our ten millionth user session by the end of 2006.
	Early results of user surveys have indicated that 64 per cent. of those who completed our surveys were considering a change of travel mode preference.

Transport Direct

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the impact of the Transport Direct portal on journey decisions, including modal shift.

Stephen Ladyman: The portal service includes a self-completion feedback questionnaire that has been designed to form part of the independent evaluation framework for the portal. The analysis of the first 1,002 forms (December 2005) indicates that:
	64 per cent. of users who responded indicated a change of original travel mode preference for at least part of the journey.
	In 33 per cent. of cases the respondent had made the journey previously and of these 51 per cent. indicated a change in original mode preference.

Transport Direct

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many visitor hits Transport Direct has received; and what its advertising expenditure has been since it became operational.

Stephen Ladyman: Transport Direct usage is recorded in "user sessions". A user session is defined as:
	"One continuous dialogue with the Transport Direct Portal through one browser window"."
	By the end of June 2006 Transport Direct had recorded 6,055,702 user sessions. The current rate is around 150,000 user sessions a week, viewing an average of seven to eight pages each.
	Advertising costs across the financial years 2004-05 to 2005-06 were £1,063,000.

Transport Direct

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why the default setting for the cost of car travel on the Transport Direct portal is for fuel costs.

Stephen Ladyman: The portal provides the user with two choices for assessing the costs of car travel. One is "fuel costs"; including exceptional costs such as tolls, ferry charges and congestion charges, and the other is 'total running costs' which take into account the cost of owning a car.
	Transport Direct's purpose is to give users an impartial series of travel options and to enable them to select choices that meet their needs. Market research strongly indicates that motorists are overwhelmingly interested in seeing information about the 'point of use' of costs of their car. Therefore the default is to display the fuel costs and other direct costs. Showing full costs as the default would result in this functionality not being used by the majority of motorists, thus negating any potential effect on their travel choice.
	Users do have the option to select an estimate of the total running costs. This is based on advice and information provided by the major motoring organisations and provides a figure which reflects the total cost of motoring, on a per mile basis. If the user chooses this option, then fuel costs, the exceptional costs and the total ownership costs are displayed.

Transport Direct

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much it cost to construct www.transportdirect.info; and how much it has cost to operate a month on average.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is as follows:
	 Construction of www.transportdirect.info.
	Overall capital spend on the Transport Direct portal design, build and operate (DBO) contract has been as follows:
	
		
			  Period  £ million 
			 2002-03 1.3 
			 2003-04 9.3 
			 2004-05 9.6 
			 2005-06 7.3 
			 2006-07 0.4 
			 Total to end March 2006 27.9 
		
	
	These figures represent the sums paid to Atos Origin (the DBO contractor) for all aspects of the DBO contract excluding non-capital elements.
	The DBO contract has been just one part of the overall Transport Direct programme. Whilst the portal DBO contract cost more than we originally estimated, the overall programme budget under spent.
	Operational costs are in the region of £225,000-£250,000 per calendar month, while data supply costs are in the region of £100,000 per month.

Vehicle Excise Duty Licences

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicle excise duty licences were paid in each band, including goods vehicles, for the most recently available year; and how many licences in each band were paid for by  (a) private individuals and  (b) incorporated businesses.

Stephen Ladyman: DVLA estimates the number of vehicle licences issued within each band for the "Private and Light Goods" tax class, as the following table:
	
		
			  Estimate of licences issued for Private and Light Goods vehicles, 2004-05 
			  Class  Licences issued 
			 Band A 543 
			 Band B 392,320 
			 Band C 4,710,235 
			 Band D 3,907,106 
			 Band E 3,039,718 
			 Band F 2,945,879 
			 Band G 1,618,549 
			 Cars registered before 1 March 2001 22,388,865 
			 Total 39,003,215 
		
	
	Additionally, 554,153 licences were issued for heavy goods vehicles in 2004-05. No statistical information is available to indicate how many licences in each band were paid for by  (a) private individuals and  (b) incorporated businesses.

SCOTLAND

Carbon Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent estimate he has made of the carbon emissions of his Department; what commitment he has made to reducing such emissions; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office subscribes to the energy efficiency policies adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice), on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1615W.

Departmental Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that all flights undertaken by Ministers and officials in his Department are carbon neutral; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office subscribes to the principles of environmental performance adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice), on 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1344W.

Environmental Management

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department  (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and  (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office subscribes to the environmental management principles adopted by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Bridget Prentice), on 13 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1992W

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent.

David Cairns: Since the Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999, one private Member's Bill has been drafted and has subsequently received Royal Assent—my Sunday Working (Scotland) Act 2003.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those Private Members' Bills in respect of which his Department has adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has not adopted a policy of neutrality on any of the private Members' Bills since session 2001-02 for which it had the lead interest.

Scottish Affairs Select Committee

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action has been taken by his Department to implement Scottish Affairs Select Committee recommendations since the 2001-02 session; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Government have responded to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee's recommendations in the period in question in the following published memoranda:
	 Session 2001-02
	The Drinks Industry in Scotland: Response by the Government and the Scottish Executive (HC 696), published on 18 March 2002.
	Customs Services in Scotland: Response by the Government (HC 1287), published on 5 November 2002
	 Session 2002-03
	Employment in Shipbuilding on the Clyde: Response by the Government (HC 199), published on 19 December 2002
	Homeworkers in Scotland and the Minimum Wage: Response by the Government (HC 816), published on 19 June 2003
	 Session 2003-04
	The Coincidence of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in Scotland and the Consequences of Change: Response by the Government (HC514), published on 7 April 2004
	The Proposed Whisky Strip Stamp: Response by the Government (HC 822), published on 5 July 2004
	 Session 2005-06
	Meeting Scotland's Future Energy Needs: Government Response (HC 579), published on 24 October 2005
	Each memorandum stated whether the Government accepted the recommendations in the relevant report.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Access to Work Scheme

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme  (a) in each of the last five years and  (b) in 2006-07.

Paul Goggins: The table provides information on the numbers of NIO staff with disabilities for whom NIO requested support through the Access to Work scheme. This relates to the provision of workplace assessments to identify individual needs and recommend special aids and equipment and, where applicable, the provision of assistance with the cost of providing reasonable adjustments. While the scheme also assists with the cost of travel to work, the Department has no knowledge of assistance provided for NIO staff, as individuals must apply direct to the scheme.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 2 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 2 
			 2004-05 4 
			 2005-06 1 
			 2006-07 (1)1 
			 (1 )To date.

Building Regulations

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place to assess compliance with building regulations in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments do not hold this information. Enforcement of building regulations is the responsibility of district councils. Having written to district councils I can confirm that Building Control employ professionally qualified and trained staff to carry out independent and impartial plan assessments and detailed inspection of all sites to ensure compliance. Applicants must notify Building Control at various stages of projects, and if remedial action is necessary, it is always carried out prior to the issue of the completion certificate.

Building Regulations

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes built in the last 10 years in Northern Ireland do not comply with environmental building regulations.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland civil service departments do not hold this information. Enforcement of building regulations is the responsibility of district councils. Having written to district councils I can confirm that no homes built in the last 10 years contravene the environmental building regulations.

Further Education

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision for those with  (a) mental health difficulties and  (b) learning disability is offered by further education colleges in the Province.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Employment and Learning is unable to provide the information in the format requested but can confirm that in 2004-05, the last year for which figures are available, further education colleges in Northern Ireland enrolled 14,231 students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities on a range of mainstream courses and, where more appropriate, on courses designed specifically for students with learning difficulties. FE colleges have also been provided with additional resources to make such physical adjustments as may be required to assist those with disabilities and learning difficulties.

Prisons

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of providing assistance to prisoners in Northern Ireland to cease smoking in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available for 2003 and 2004.
	In 2005 the cost of providing nicotine replacement patches under prescription to prisoners was £12,082.09 and for the period 1 January to 31 May 2006 the cost was £4,692.45.

Prisons

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners have absconded from custody in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Prison Service undertakes a thorough risk assessment prior to decisions being taken in respect of prisoner release, and has a low incidence of absconds.
	The Northern Ireland Prison Service classifies absconds as prisoners released from lawful custody under Rule 27(2), who are accompanied outside the confines of the prison establishment.
	
		
			  Numbers of prisoners absconding from custody - 2001 to date 
			   Maghaberry  Magilligan  Hydebank Wood 
			 2001 1 1 1 
			 2002 2 1 1 
			 2003 2 1 1 
			 2004 1 — — 
			 2005 1 — — 
			 2006 2 1 — 
			 Total 9 4 3

Road Improvements

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what improvements are planned for the A26 road between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.

David Cairns: The Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, Mr. Geoff Allister, has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Geoff Allister, dated 18 July 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what improvements are planned for the A26 road between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	I have to advise that there are no planned improvements for the A26 between Ballymena and Coleraine over the next two years.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005.

Peter Hain: Two statutory instruments sponsored by my Department since October 2005 have been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective. Details are as follows:
	(a) The Prison and Young Offenders Centre (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005/153). See the Fourth Report of the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for session 2005-06, published on 19 October 2005; and
	(b) The Pollution Prevention and Control (Amendment) and Connected Provisions (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005 No. 285). See Sixth Report of the JCSI for 2005-06, published on 26 October 2005.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Avian Flu

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1341W, on avian influenza, when and in what manner the discussion took place between a departmental official with Mr. Steve Moon at which an offer was extended to Mr. Moon, or another representative of the Association of Local Government Ecologists, to participate in the avian influenza stakeholder group; and who the official was.

Ben Bradshaw: There appears to have been some misunderstanding over this matter. A Defra official has written to Mr. Moon to express regret for this. I have also written to the Secretary of the Association of Local Government Ecologists inviting the association to participate in the AI Stakeholder Group.

Avian Flu

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the vaccination of domestic birds against avian influenza; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The advice from the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) is that we should not vaccinate poultry in advance of an avian influenza outbreak, or as an immediate disease control response. Although currently available vaccines are able to reduce mortality, it is possible that some vaccinated birds would still be capable of transmitting the disease if they become infected, but might not display symptoms of disease. This would increase the time taken to detect and eradicate the virus. High standards of surveillance and biosecurity, early reporting of suspect cases and culling remain the most effective ways of preventing avian influenza and tackling an outbreak.
	However, as I informed the House on 11 July, in order to be fully prepared we have invited tenders to supply us with a further 10 million doses of avian influenza vaccine for potential use in poultry and other captive birds. This is not a change in policy. The CVO has recommended this step as part of sensible contingency planning in the light of uncertainties about the future spread and nature of the virus, and the possibility of as yet unforeseen circumstances. The vaccine would only be used if a risk assessment and scientific evidence indicated it would help to prevent disease spread.

Fisheries

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of the investigation into possible blackfish landings of pelagic fish.

Ben Bradshaw: This is an issue for the Scottish Executive. As it is an ongoing investigation we are unable to comment.

Fly-tipping

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fly-tipping incidents were recorded by Flycapture in 2004-05, broken down by local authority area.

Ben Bradshaw: Data on fly-tipping incidents recorded by each local authority on the Flycapture database between April 2004 and March 2005 have been placed in the Library of the House.

Waste

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will estimate how many  (a) mobile telephones and  (b) printer cartridges were (i) recycled, (ii) reused overseas and (iii) disposed of within the waste stream in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: This Department does not collect information on the recycling or reuse of mobile phones or printer cartridges. The mobile phone industry estimates that 18 million handsets are replaced every year and that in 2003 and 2004, about five million handsets were collected by mobile phone recycling and refurbishment companies in the UK. The industry estimates that about 60 per cent. of these were refurbished and the remaining 40 per cent. were sent for materials recycling.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Administrative Savings

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what administrative savings have been made by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's annual reports contain information on departmental management and public service delivery, including on measures taken to improve efficiency and value for money.
	For the years 1997-98 and 1998-99, value for money and efficiency savings were not reported separately in the Department's annual reports but were contained within the chapters on the management of the Department.
	During the period covered by the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review (1999-2002), the Department had a strategic efficiency target to achieve savings of 2.5 per cent. of its running costs each year. In 1999-2000 DTI achieved a saving of 2.6 per cent. of running costs (£10.6 million on projected costs of £406.6 million); and in 2000-01 a saving of 4.6 per cent. (£19.3 million on projected costs of £418.8 million).
	The CSR98 efficiency target was replaced for the 2000 Spending Review period (2001-04) by a Public Service Agreement Target to "achieve value for money improvements of 2.5 per cent. a year across the Department", which was carried over into the 2002 Spending Review (2003-06). In 2001-02 value for money improvements under this target amounted to 3.79 per cent. (£16 million on projected costs of £422.3 million); and in 2002-03 amounted to 4.5 per cent. (£20.2 million on projected costs of £449.9 million).
	Value for money improvements related to administration under the SR2002 PSA12 value for the money target amounted to £35.4 million in 2003-04 and £351.7 million in 2004-05. The Department's performance for 2005-06 against this PSA target will be covered in the 2006 departmental report, which was due to be published in spring 2006.
	In the 2004 Spending Review the Department committed to achieve annual efficiencies of at least £380 million by 2007-08. The 2005 Autumn Performance Report, published last December, provides the most recent assessment of the Department's performance against this target. £27.97 million efficiency gains related to administration spend were achieved by the end of Quarter 2.

Airbus

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government grants were awarded to BAE Systems for the purchase of shares in Airbus in 1979.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has no record of grants being given to either British Aerospace or its successor BAE Systems for the purchase of shares in Airbus.

Airbus

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost  (a) gross and  (b) net after loan repayments was of support by the UK Government to Airbus programmes in each year since 1985.

Margaret Hodge: Launch investment is a risk-sharing Government investment in the design and development of civil aerospace projects in the UK. It is not a loan. The investment is repayable at a real rate of return, usually via levies on sales of the product.
	The amounts paid to Airbus in launch investment and the amounts received from Airbus in repayment of launch investment in each of the years from 1984-85 to 2005-06 inclusive are set out in the following table, with the net figures (Receipts-Payments) in the final column.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Payments  Receipts  Net 
			 1984/85 46.5 0.0 -46.5 
			 1985-86 73.0 0.0 -73.0 
			 1986-87 86.0 0.0 -86.0 
			 1987-88 44.5 0.0 -44.5 
			 1988-89 87.8 0.0 -87.8 
			 1989-90 122.5 10.0 -112.5 
			 1990-91 134.0 34.0 -100.0 
			 1991-92 73.5 55.4 -18.1 
			 1992-93 28.6 40.9 12.3 
			 1993-94 0.0 29.4 29.4 
			 1994-95 0.0 19.2 19.2 
			 1995-96 0.0 29.3 29.3 
			 1996-97 0.0 42.7 42.7 
			 1997-98 0.0 85.4 85.4 
			 1998-99 0.0 134.6 134.6 
			 1999-2000 0.0 167.4 167.4 
			 2000-01 0.0 119.7 119.7 
			 2001-02 136.0 103.4 -32.6 
			 2002-03 139.0 88.7 -50.3 
			 2003-04 255.0 78.3 -176.7 
			 2004-05 0.0 91.7 91.7 
			 2005-06 0.0 110.5 110.5 
			 Total 1,226.4 1,240.5 14.1

Businesses (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) the Peterborough city council area (i) started up and (ii) ceased trading in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1484-85, which contains data for each year starting nine years ago up to the latest available.

Canatxx

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether  (a) he has and  (b) Ministers in his Department have received official hospitality from Canatxx Ventures Ltd and Canatxx UK and its associated companies in the last four years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No DTI Ministers have received official hospitality from Canatxx UK Ltd, Canatxx Energy Ventures Ltd or any of its associated companies in the last four years.

Civil Service Secondees

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the civil service in his Department in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI has had and continues to have people seconded who have science and technology backgrounds. Where an S and T background is an essential requirement for a secondment we will take the appropriate steps to check the applicant's qualifications.
	The DTI has had a number of people seconded from science and technology backgrounds in the last three years, although we do not hold this information centrally. As the Department dedicated to maximising the contribution of the science and technology fields to the UK's economic development—and the quality of our lives—we are delighted to have such expertise within the DTI.

Miners' Compensation

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which solicitors have received payments under the  (a) vibration white finger and  (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease conditional fee agreement for coal health compensation claims for claims registered by claimants living in Leicester, South constituency; and whether Vendside Ltd has received any payment from his Department for coal health compensation claims registered by claimants living in that constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: Conditional fee agreements do not form part of either the vibration white finger (VWF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) schemes. Solicitors are paid according to a tariff set out in the respective Claims Handling Agreement. The tables list the solicitors, including Vendside/UDM, that have received payments in accordance with those tariffs for representing claimants from the Leicester, South constituency:
	
		
			  VWF 
			  Solicitor  Costs paid (£) 
			 Ashton Morton Slack Solicitors 757 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 470 
			 Moss Solicitors 4,678 
			 Oxley and Coward Solicitors 2,697 
			 Vendside / UDM 1,351 
			 Watson Burton LLP 737 
			 Total 10,690 
		
	
	
		
			  OPD 
			  Solicitor  Costs paid (£) 
			 Ashton Morton Slack Solicitors 1,770 
			 Atteys 3,393 
			 Avalon Solicitors 10,495 
			 Beresfords Solicitors 8,543 
			 Blackett Hart and Pratt Solicitors 1,223 
			 BRM Solicitors 4,175 
			 Browell Smith and Co. 6,059 
			 Delta Legal 2,586 
			 Bac Solicitors 2,977 
			 Dodds and Partners 2,888 
			 Gorman Hamilton Solicitors 5,451 
			 Hugh James 15,562 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors 2,079 
			 Kidd and Spoor Harper Solicitors 1,834 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 9,066 
			 Marrons Solicitors 1,090 
			 Moss Solicitors 46,148 
			 O. H. Parsons and Partners Solicitors 3,055 
			 Proddow and Mackay Solicitors 2,963 
			 Raleys Solicitors 1,792 
			 Thompsons Solicitors 5,659 
			 Vendside Ltd 10,557 
			 Watson Burton LLP 23,393 
			 Wilson Browne incorp. Holyoak and Co. 3,055 
			 Total 175,814 
		
	
	In addition, Vendside have been paid an additional £2,333 in costs for handling claims for Industrial Deafness for Leicester, South constituents which are dealt with under common law.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which mining contractors have signed the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims handling agreement with his Department.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 14 July 2006
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 12 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 576-77W.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent in each year since 1997 by his Department on salaries paid to civil servants.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's expenditure on civil servants' salaries for 1998-99 to 2004-05 is detailed as follows. Figures from 1999-2000 are taken from the Department's Resource Accounts, which are published annually by the Stationery Office. Total resource budgets for 2002-03 and 2003-04 included exceptional provisions to reflect accounting adjustments in respect of the Department's liabilities. Prior to 1998-99, figures were not produced on the same basis and comparable figures are not available other than at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  £000  Percentage of total resource budget 
			 1998-99 198,857 7.0 
			 1999-2000 197,643 7.0 
			 2000-01 211,943 4.8 
			 2001-02 207,108 4.8 
			 2002-03 217,359 3.0 
			 2003-04 243,155 2.2 
			 2004-05 232,200 4.6

Energy Review

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which external consultants were contracted to process submissions to the energy review; what criteria were adopted in choosing the consultants; whether the contract was subject to competitive tender; what the total value was of each contract; what responsibility each consultant was given; and what the length was of each contract.

Malcolm Wicks: AEA Technology Environment were contracted, by competitive tender, to support the analysis of the submissions to the Energy Review consultation exercise.
	Their report is on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file31631.pdf

Enterprise

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his oral statement of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 537WH, on Enterprise, on what date the manufacturing day during enterprise week will be held.

Margaret Hodge: Enterprise Week is to be held from 13 to 19 November 2006. On 14 November there will be a strong focus on the manufacturing sector, with regional events taking place led by industry.

Enterprise Insight

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in which local authorities Enterprise Insight will be establishing local campaign hubs; on what basis these areas were selected; and how other local authorities can apply for campaign hubs to be based in their locality.

Margaret Hodge: Local Enterprise Campaign Hubs are being set up in Coventry, Liverpool, Lowestoft, Tees Valley and Wakefield. The local authorities looking after these areas are Coventry city council, Liverpool city council, Waveney district council, Redcar and Cleveland borough council and Wakefield metropolitan district council respectively.
	These areas were selected as they have low levels of entrepreneurial activity, and high levels of deprivation.

Enterprise Insight

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what independent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of money spent by the Enterprise Insight campaign.

Margaret Hodge: Enterprise Insight employs a variety of monitoring tools to assess the effectiveness on the campaign.
	These include an annual survey that monitors young people's attitudes across the country and tracks changing levels of awareness of the campaign.
	Enterprise Insight is currently commissioning an independent organisation to develop monitoring and evaluation systems for each enterprise campaign hub as it is rolled out. In early 2008, this organisation will produce an evaluation that will assess the impact of the campaign hubs.
	Enterprise Insight has put in place a number of more specific monitoring tools that:
	(a) Capture through on-line reporting all the events taking place during Enterprise Week.
	(b) Independently, through 'Growth from Knowledge—National Opinion Polls', run a post Enterprise Week survey of all organisations that ran activities during Enterprise Week.
	(c) Independently monitor the level and range of media coverage.

Enterprise Insight

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) salary and  (b) benefits are paid to the Chief Executive of Enterprise Insight; and what salary was advertised when this position was last vacant.

Margaret Hodge: Enterprise Insight is an independent organisation, founded and run by the four main business organisations (Institute of Directors, British Chambers of Commerce, CBI and Federation of Small Businesses), with support from DTI.
	The DTI's Small Business Service co-funds Enterprise Insight, but the Enterprise Insight Board independently determines its staff remuneration levels.

Equal Pay

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) women and  (b) men are employed in the Department; what the average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (A) 1997 and (B) 2006; what women's average pay is as a percentage of men's average pay; and how many (1) women and (2) men the Department employed in each of the last five years, broken down by grade.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. This includes data on the employment of men and women. Information on the numbers of women and men employed in the civil service broken down at 31 December 2005 is available in the Libraries of the House and on the civil service website at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/employment/index.asp
	It should be borne in mind that the figures for DTI published by Cabinet Office include additional staff such as those employed in Executive agencies.
	The Department of Trade and Industry (including UK Trade and Investment and Small Business Service, but excluding Executive agencies) employs  (a) 1,682 women (1,596.3 full-time equivalent) and  (b) 2,176 men (2,165.3 full-time equivalent) at 9 November 2005.
	DTI measures equal pay for those not in the senior civil service as part of a regular and ongoing equal pay review programme. Equal pay is measured for the senior civil service by the Cabinet Office.
	The average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (A) 2000-01 and (B) 2005-06 and what women's average pay is as a percentage of men's average pay are shown in the following table.
	2000-01 is the earliest period for which an accurate comparison can be provided.
	
		
			   2005-06  2000-01 
			 Women 25,740 20,011 
			 Men 29,070 24,968 
			 Women's pay as percentage of men's 88.5 80.2 
		
	
	The number of (1) women and (2) men the Department employed in three of the last five years, broken down by grade, is shown in the following table. Data for 2001, 2003 and 2005 are readily available having previously been used for other purposes. Data for 2002 and 2004 can be provided, but at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Permanent staff by responsibility level and gender: 2001, 2003 and 2005—Department of Trade and Industry (core staff including  UKTI and SBS) 
			   Headcount: Full-time staff 
			  Responsibility level( 1)  Male  Female  Total  Percentage female staff 
			  1 February 2001 
			 All non-industrial staff 2,374 1,537 3,911 39.3 
			  
			 SCS level 134 39 173 22.5 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 2,240 1,498 3,738 40.1 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 543 184 727 25.3 
			 SEO/HEO level 856 354 1,210 29.3 
			 EO level 409 349 758 46.0 
			 AO/AA level 432 611 1,043 58.6 
			  
			  3 April 2003 
			 All non-industrial staff 2,446 1,717 4,163 41.2 
			  
			 SCS level 156 73 229 31.9 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 2,290 1,644 3,934 41.8 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 548 245 793 30.9 
			 SEO/HEO level 951 435 1,386 31.4 
			 EO level 390 385 775 49.7 
			 AO/AA level 401 579 980 59.1 
			 Unknown 13 6 19 31.6 
			  
			  10 November 2005 
			 All non-industrial staff 2,140 1,414 3,554 39.8 
			  
			 SCS level 136 46 182 25.3 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 2,004 1,368 3,372 40.6 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 592 268 860 31.2 
			 SEO/HEO level 844 441 1,285 34.3 
			 EO level 307 307 614 50.0 
			 AO/AA level 261 352 613 57.4 
		
	
	
		
			   Headcount: Part-time staff 
			  Responsibility level( 1)  Male  Female  Total  Percentage female staff 
			  1 February 2001 
			 All non-industrial staff 33 246 279 88.2 
			  
			 SCS level 4 14 18 77.8 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 29 232 261 88.9 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 4 51 55 92.7 
			 SEO/HEO level 8 48 56 85.7 
			 EO level 12 32 44 72.7 
			 AO/AA level 5 101 106 95.3 
			  
			  3 April 2003 
			 All non-industrial staff 46 301 347 86.7 
			  
			 SCS level — — — — 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 46 301 347 86.7 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 14 63 77 81.8 
			 SEO/HEO level 12 62 74 83.8 
			 EO level 10 60 70 85.7 
			 AO/AA level 10 116 126 92.1 
			 Unknown — 1 1 100.0 
			  
			  10 November 2005 
			 All non-industrial staff 36 268 304 88.2 
			  
			 SCS level 4 11 15 73.3 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 32 257 289 88.9 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 10 68 78 87.2 
			 SEO/HEO level 12 62 74 83.8 
			 EO level 6 38 44 86.4 
			 AO/AA level 4 89 93 95.7 
		
	
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent( 2) 
			  Responsibility level( 1)  Male  Female  Total  Percentage female staff 
			  1 February 2001 
			 All non-industrial staff 2,395.8 1,702.5 4,098.3 41.5 
			  
			 SCS level 137.2 49.4 186.7 26.5 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 2,258.6 1,653.1 3,911.6 42.3 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 545.9 219.8 765.7 28.7 
			 SEO/HEO level 861.3 386.6 1,247.8 31.0 
			 EO level 415.5 370.7 786.2 47.2 
			 AO/AA level 435.9 676.0 1,111.9 60.8 
			  
			  3 April 2003 
			 All non-industrial staff 2,553.7 1,929.2 4,482.9 43.0 
			  
			 SCS level 156.6 69.8 226.4 30.8 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 2,397.1 1,859.4 4,245.4 43.7 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 630.3 302.0 932.2 32.4 
			 SEO/HEO level 962.9 476.8 1,439.7 33.1 
			 EO level 395.7 426.6 822.3 51.9 
			 AO/AA level 408.3 653.9 1,062.2 61.6 
			 Unknown 13.0 6.7 19.7 34.0 
			  
			  10 November 2005 
			 All non-industrial staff 2,165.3 1,596.3 3,761.6 42.4 
			  
			 SCS level 138.8 53.5 192.3 27.8 
			  
			 All staff below SCS level 2,026.5 1,542.8 3,569.2 43.2 
			  
			 Grades 6/7 599.6 316.2 915.8 34.5 
			 SEO/HEO level 852.8 485.0 1,377.7 36.3 
			 EO level 310.2 334.0 644.2 51.8 
			 AO/AA level 263.8 407.7 671.5 60.7 
			 (1) This table shows staff in their substantive responsibility level, and therefore ignores the effect of temporary promotions.  (2) Part-time staff are recorded according to the proportion of full-time hours worked.

Fuel Bills

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) mean and  (b) median household (i) gas and (ii) electricity bill was in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will estimate the bill paid at each decile of income distribution in each case.

Malcolm Wicks: The Expenditure and Food Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics showed that in 2004-05 the mean amount spent on gas was £287 per annum, while the mean amount spent on electricity was £313.
	The median spend on gas was £271, while the median spend on electricity during 2004-05 was £276.
	The amount of spend for the top of each decile in the distribution is shown for both gas and electricity in the table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Annual spend on fuel according to position in spend decile (2004-05) 
			  Decile (top of):  Gas  Electricity 
			 1 0 44 
			 2 0 156 
			 3 130 199 
			 4 221 241 
			 5 271 277 
			 6 325 317 
			 7 373 373 
			 8 445 456 
			 9 577 574 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	Those in the lowest deciles of gas spend will pay nothing for their fuel due to a lack of connection to the gas network.
	The amount spent on gas and electricity by each decile in the income distribution is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Annual spend on fuel per income decile( 1) 
			  Income decile  Gas  Electricity 
			 Lowest 177 219 
			 Second 219 250 
			 Third 240 266 
			 Fourth 266 287 
			 Fifth 287 308 
			 Sixth 292 318 
			 Seventh 308 344 
			 Eighth 339 360 
			 Ninth 349 370 
			 Tenth 417 428 
			 (1) Source:  Family Spending: A Report on the 2004-05 Expenditure and Food Survey (ONS: 2005)

Fuel Poverty

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to eliminate fuel poverty in vulnerable households in England by 2010.

Malcolm Wicks: Responsibility for tackling fuel poverty in England is shared between the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Following the Energy Review, we will be taking forward work with energy suppliers and other key players to examine how the continuing challenge of fuel poverty can be best addressed. The Energy Review also commits us to looking hard at how we can maximise the contribution made by our existing schemes. The Department of Trade and Industry will play an important role in this analysis.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on the Warm Front scheme in England. The Warm Front scheme has resulted in improvements to the energy efficiency of the housing of those on a range of qualifying benefits and has provided assistance to over a million vulnerable households since 2000.
	The Department of Trade and Industry itself has a number of policies to tackle the issue of fuel poverty. It has liaised closely with energy suppliers on the development of the Home Heat Helpline, which provides vulnerable customers and their representatives with a central point of information relating to the help available from their energy supplier and Government. It has encouraged the introduction of social tariffs and price freezes for fuel poor and low income customers.
	The Department's Design and Demonstration Unit is a team of private sector secondees that works in support of Energy White Paper objectives. As part of the Unit's work, it has designed and delivered projects to provide gas connections to deprived communities, and it is now developing community projects utilising renewable technologies.

Fuel Prices

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his estimate is of the difference in the average price of a litre of petrol in rural and non-rural areas in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I am not aware of any data source that provides information on rural and non-rural petrol prices. There is anecdotal evidence that petrol prices in rural areas are likely to be higher than non-rural areas.
	There are a variety of reasons why this is likely to be the case. These include:
	Fuel throughput, in that the higher the throughput the lower the retail margin required to give a return on the investment. Rural garages are likely to have lower throughputs.
	Bulk delivery charges, many sites have relatively small storage tanks since they are cheaper to install. However, they require more frequent replenishment and this results in some sites paying higher delivery charges. Again smaller tanks are likely to be more prevalent is smaller, rural petrol stations.
	Competition; large, particularly supermarket sites in close proximity to one another in urban areas do tend to lead to lower prices.
	Regional petrol prices are available on the AA website at http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuel/index.html.

Home Computing Initiative

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with representatives of the home computing industry about the consequences of the abolition of the Home Computing Initiative.

Alistair Darling: I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to his query I can confirm that the DTI has regular discussions with the industry on all matters of concern relevant to their sector.

Home Computing Initiative

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date the Home Computing Initiative was made available to staff in his Department; and how many staff had  (a) applied for and  (b) expressed interest in the scheme before the Budget.

Alistair Darling: The Home Computing Initiative was made available to staff in DTI and Insolvency Service (an executive agency of DTI that is participating in the DTI scheme) on 15 March 2006 as part of a wider scheme incorporating computers, childcare and bikes.
	Over 400 staff in DTI expressed an interest in the scheme when it was initially contemplated in mid-2005.
	Sixty-four people had registered for computers in the period 15 to 22 March (Budget day) and approximately 240 had registered by the computer closing date of 30 March. These figures include staff from DTI and Insolvency Service.

Home Computing Initiative

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the communications from his officials to HM Treasury on the home computing initiatives relating to the abolition of the tax exemption in the Budget.

Alistair Darling: I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to his query I can confirm that the DTI have regular discussion with the Treasury on budgetary initiatives.

Home Computing Initiative

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of setting up his Department's Home Computing Initiative scheme, including consultancy and administrative costs.

Alistair Darling: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) on 20 April 2006,  Official Report, column 762W.

Home Computing Initiative

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he was first informed by the Treasury of the withdrawal of the tax exemption for loaned computer equipment under the Home Computing Initiative Scheme.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 18 April 2006
	I would like to apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to the matter raised. In response to her query the DTI have regular discussions with the Treasury on budgetary issues.

Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in his Department have been enabled to work from home in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All members of staff with an appropriate job are allowed to work from home subject to their line manager's approval. Laptops have been provided to staff that allow access to the Department's IT Systems. Many of these were configured to allow staff to share them.
	 2003-04
	1,400 Laptops were in use for secure remote access. The shared facility enabled up to 2,200 staff to use these machines if approved to do so.
	 2004-05
	1,550 Laptops were in use for secure remote access. The shared facility enabled 2,550 staff to use these machines if approved to do so.
	 2005-06
	1,550 Laptops were in use at the start of the year but this reduced to 1,200 by end-March 2006, as a consequence of the efficiency programme and reduction in staff numbers. A corresponding reduction in shared usage was applicable.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions he has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has visited the North West twice and the North East, South East and East Midlands once.

Nuclear Energy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to paragraph 5.134 of the Energy Review, Cm 6887, whether the Environment Agency will be able to recover  (a) in full and  (b) in part from any company putting forward proposals to build new nuclear plants the costs of the pre-licensing work.

Malcolm Wicks: Paragraph 5.9 of the Environment Agency submission to the Energy Review stated that:
	"We will need to recover the costs associated with pre-authorisation/licensing assessments. There are legal provisions in the EA 95 to enable our costs to be recovered."

Nuclear Energy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is his policy to replace those nuclear stations that he identifies in the Energy Review as coming to the end of their operational lives.

Malcolm Wicks: Any new power stations would be proposed, developed, constructed and operated by the private sector. It is for the private sector to make judgements on the future relative costs of different generating technologies, within the market framework established by Government. Developers will make their proposals for new generating capacity based on these judgments.

Nuclear Energy

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the level of government subsidies likely to be required to stimulate the commissioning of new nuclear generating stations by energy companies.

Malcolm Wicks: It will be for the private sector to initiate, fund, construct and operate any new nuclear power station, and also meet full decommissioning costs and their full share of long term waste management costs.

Nuclear Materials (Transportation)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether vessels transporting nuclear material are escorted by the Royal Navy.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 July 2006
	All shipments of civil nuclear material on a UK flagged vessel are carried out in accordance with the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations (NISR) 2003 which are administered and enforced by the Government's independent security regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS). Before any shipment can commence, OCNS must be satisfied that the overall security measures are adequately robust to prevent the theft or sabotage of the material being transported.
	British flagged transport vessels carrying nuclear material are not routinely escorted by the Royal Navy, but, where appropriate, prior coordination with the Royal Navy will be an important factor in the assessment of a Transport Security Plan. The ships will carry an escort unit of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary's (CNC) Marine Escort Group, which provides armed security for nuclear materials in transit. The Marine Escort Group has been specially trained to a high standard by the Royal Navy.

Offshore Transmission Regime

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to paragraph 5.57 of the Energy Review, what the scope is of the work being conducted on developing an offshore transmission regime; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 17 July 2006
	Following my announcement on 30 March 2006 that the Government had decided to extend the regulated price control model to offshore transmission, DTI and Ofgem are working with industry to develop that new regime.
	Ofgem issued a scoping document setting out the main issues that need to be considered on 3 April 2006. The document can be found at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/temp/ofgem/cache/cmsattach/14533_6006.pdf
	Further information about the project to deliver the new regime including project structure, governance and timetable can be found at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/policy/offshore-transmission/page28604.html
	and
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/policy/offshore-transmission/offshore-transmission-experts-group/page28711.html

Post Office Closures

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the closure of the Shrewsbury post office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I understand that the directly managed office in Shrewsbury is to be relocated to premises 50 yards away under a franchising agreement and customers will benefit from extended opening hours and have access to the same full range of services. Decisions on individual offices are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The 500 directly managed post offices made combined annual losses of some £50 million in 2005-06 and Post Office Ltd are seeking more cost-effective ways of providing main post office services to the public.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Expenditure on recruitment for the past three financial years has been extracted from the Department's finance system. Information for the other years requested is not readily available on a consistent basis and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the breakdown on recruitment, search and selection agencies by DTI and its agencies.
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure on recruitment, search and selection agencies (£000) 
			 2003-04 1,427 
			 2004-05 784 
			 2005-06 1,009

Renewable Energy

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made when benchmarking UK performance of the proportion of  (a) energy and  (b) electricity in other EU countries which is supplied from renewable sources.

Malcolm Wicks: According to data published by Eurostat in 2004 the United Kingdom ranked 17(th) of the 25 member states of the EU in terms of the share of electricity from renewable energy to gross electricity consumption. In 1995 the UK ranked 19(th) and if all countries meet their 2010 targets the UK will move up to 15(th). It should be noted that the countries that rank highest (Austria, Latvia and Sweden) have significant and well developed hydro resources and plentiful supplies of biomass (mainly wood).
	The International Energy Agency (IEA) produces statistics that exclude hydro generation from the renewables share of electricity production, but this is available for only 19 of the 25 EU member states that are also IEA members. On this basis the UK ranked 13(th) out of 19 in the latest available year (2003) with Denmark the highest ranking because of its well-developed wind power sector.
	The IEA also produces statistics on the contribution of renewable sources to total primary energy supply for the 19 EU member states. Here the UK ranked 17(th) out of 19 in 2003.
	The spring 2006 edition of the "Ernst and Young Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices", which provide scores for national renewable energy markets, support mechanisms, renewable energy infrastructures and their suitability for individual technologies, placed the UK fifth most attractive in the world (third in Europe) of all countries http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsif/International/ECU_Library
	The UK has a target that by 2010, 10 per cent. of all UK electricity produced will come from renewable sources. It was recently announced in the Energy Review (2006) that, in order to further boost investors' confidence, the Renewables Obligation would be extended to 20 per cent.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances regulations from small business and sole traders; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI consulted on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive on three separate occasions before the regulations were laid before Parliament. On each occasion we received representations from a wide range of stakeholders including small businesses, sole traders and trade bodies representing these interests.

Russia

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how much gas his Department estimates the UK will import from Russia in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2010 and  (c) 2020, (i) as a percentage of total consumption and (ii) in cubic metres; and what percentage of that gas his Department estimates will be (A) produced by Gazprom and (B) transported through Gazprom's pipeline network;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the security of gas supply to the UK of the law passed by the Russian State Duma on Gazprom's control of gas exports from Russia;
	(3)  what his assessment is of the impact on UK businesses of the proposed amendments to Russia's Subsoil Law on foreign participation in Russian oil and gas projects;
	(4)  what his assessment is of the impact on security of energy supplies to the UK of the Russian Federation's  (a) level of compliance with the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty and  (b) policy on the Transit Protocol to the Energy Charter Treaty;
	(5)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact on UK investments in Russia of the Russian Federation's level of compliance with the Energy Charter Treaty;
	(6)  what plans he has to make representations to his Russian counterpart about the proposed amendments to Russia's Subsoil Law on foreign participation in Russian oil and gas projects.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK's gas import dependence is set to rise to 80-90 per cent. by 2020, of which a significant proportion is expected to be imported from the European mainland through existing and planned interconnection capacity. The International Energy Agency forecast that the EU will import 25 per cent. of its gas needs from Russia by 2030. It is, therefore, possible that some Russian gas will be imported into the UK, albeit indirectly and commingled with gas from other sources (such as Norway, the Netherlands and LNG from outside Europe) as part of the European gas system.
	The contractual origin of imports into the UK is a decision for companies operating in the UK's liberalised gas market, taking into account elements such as cost, reliability, availability and the need for a diverse range of sources to provide security of supply. Given that there is no direct physical interconnection capacity with Russia and contractual flows do not necessarily follow physical flows, estimates of the type requested are not made.
	Given that the UK does not import directly from Russia, any impact on the UK from Russia's legislation or compliance with international agreements such as the Energy Charter Treaty will be felt most directly through its effect on European markets. As such, the UK will continue to press for open, competitive and liberalised European energy markets.
	In the short term, we expect the Russian gas export laws to have very little real effect on European security of supply, as Gazprom's already holds a defacto monopoly on exports by virtue of their network ownership. Longer-term effects are unclear; however, should gas transit through Russia become too commercially unattractive, Caspian and Central Asian producers will begin to seek alternative supply routes for their products to European and global markets.
	The proposed legislative changes surrounding Russia's subsoil law continue to be subject to discussion in the Russian government. The DTI and FCO are in contact with UK businesses involved in the Russian Energy market, in order to remain updated on the impact that any final series of laws may have.
	The UK, with other EU member states, will continue to encourage Russia to liberalise its domestic markets and provide fair and open access to its resources and pipelines in order to foster further competition in energy supplies into Europe and to ensure best use is made of its finite resources.
	The UK, with other G7 members, has encouraged Russia to move forward during its G8 presidency and ratify the Energy Charter Treaty, of which it is already a signatory and applies on a provisional basis. We would envisage that these Global Energy Security discussions will continue during the Russian presidency of the G8.
	Russia has called for the negotiations on the Transit Protocol to be completed before it can ratify the full Treaty. Through the EU, we continue to work with Russia towards an agreed text for the Transit Protocol while at the same time emphasising to Russia the importance of open, transparent, efficient and competitive markets at all stages of the energy supply chain as the key to global energy security..
	Whilst the absence of ratification may bring some uncertainty to the rights of both foreign and domestic investors, it is important to note that the UK has a separate bi- lateral investment Treaty with Russia that protects the investment of UK firms.

Sir Alistair Graham

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when Sir Alistair Graham was appointed to the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of the Telephone Information Services; when he took up his position; and what his rate of remuneration is.

Margaret Hodge: Sir Alistair Graham was appointed as Chairman of ICSTIS on 2 February 2006. Sir Alistair took up his appointment on 1 June 2006 and he receives an annual salary of £45,000.

Small Change Big Difference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None specifically. The Department already promotes healthier lifestyles by providing its employees with gym facilities; healthier eating choices and fresh fruit are always available in the staff canteen.

Staff Development

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total cost was of  (a) staff away days and  (b) staff team building exercises in his Department in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Uranium

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what analysis his Department has undertaken of the security and sustainability of the UK's supply of uranium for civil use.

Malcolm Wicks: In addition to responses to the Energy Consultation the Department analysed the following:
	OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, "Uranium 2005—Resources, Production and Demand". OECD Publications, Paris, June 2006.
	OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, "Uranium 2003—Resources, Production and Demand". OECD Publications, Paris, July 2004.
	Sustainable Development Commission, "The role of nuclear power in a low carbon economy—Paper 8: Uranium Resource Availability". March 2006.
	Morgan Stanley, Supply/Demand Outlook: Uranium Oxide—Inventory Cycle Coming to an End, "Basic Materials: Global Insights". December 15, 2004, pp 47-52
	Morgan Stanley, Uranium Oxide—Gaining Momentum on a Forecast Supply Deficit, "Metals & Mining: Global Insights"—April 6, 2005 pp 16-19
	TradeTech, LLC's Uranium Information web site: http://www.uranium.info/ind.ex.html
	World Nuclear Association, Resources and Uranium Market: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/info.htm#resourcesumarket

Welsh Energy Policy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which aspects of energy policy in Wales are  (a) devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government and  (b) reserved matters for the United Kingdom Government.

Malcolm Wicks: In energy policy the Welsh Assembly Government are responsible for the areas of fuel poverty, energy efficiency and some aspects of planning.
	The Energy Review document, "The Energy Challenge" provides detail about which areas of planning are devolved, and which are reserved.
	This information can be found on pages 138-141 of the above document, which can be accessed on the DTI website: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review.

FIFA World Cup

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complimentary tickets his Department has received for games taking place at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have not been notified of any employees receiving complimentary tickets for World Cup matches that took place in Germany this summer.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local Government Projects

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department provided to 4ps in each of the last five years; and how much funding has been allocated for 2006-07.

Angela Smith: The Government paid the following amounts of Revenue Support Grant to the Public Private Partnerships Programme:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 1,109,000 
			 2002-03 1,250,000 
			 2003-04 2,875,000 
			 2004-05 2,947,000 
			 2005-06 3,947,000 
			 2006-07 4,447,000 
		
	
	In addition, the Department's predecessors paid the 4ps the sum of £80,250 for the development of a procurement pack for Joint Service Centre PFI projects, of which £35,250 was paid in 2002-03 and £55,000 in 2003-04.

Local Government Projects

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role 4ps has in the decision-making process during procurement; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Subject to their legal duties, including the duty of best value and public procurement law, local authorities are responsible for taking their own decisions on procurement. In conjunction with other change agents, such as the regional centres of excellence, 4ps offers support to local authorities, including through the national efficiency and strategic procurement skills programme.

Local Government Projects

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to 4ps about its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to make available, on request, its reports on projects which it has considered.

Angela Smith: 4ps is an independent company owned by the Local Government Association. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), alongside other bodies, provides 4ps with funding to meet the capacity building needs of local authorities. DCLG has not issued guidance to 4ps on its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Consultation Papers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what extent her Department stores responses to consultation papers  (a) electronically and  (b) solely in hard copy.

Angela Smith: Where responses to consultation papers are received electronically, they are stored in that format, but they are made available in hardcopy where requested. Where responses are received as hardcopy we do not normally convert to electronic format, although the need to do so may be considered on a case by case basis.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government welcomes consultation responses in any format as consultation is a key part of the policy making process. All public consultations are subject to the Consultation Code of Practice.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of an average Band D council tax bill in England that funds  (a) domestic waste collections and  (b) domestic waste disposal.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to say how much of council tax income can be attributed to pay for any particular service. This is because it is not possible to say whether any item of revenue expenditure is funded from council tax or from the government grants and business rates that also finance revenue expenditure.
	Domestic waste collection and disposal costs for local authorities in England in 2004-05 are estimated at £1.3 billion and £1.4 billion respectively. This is 1.4 per cent. and 1.5 per cent. respectively of net current expenditure by local authorities in England.
	 Source:
	2004-05 Revenue Outturn (RO) forms

Departmental Website

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what internet domain names her Department owns; and for what purpose they were purchased.

Angela Smith: The following domain names are owned by DCLG:
	
		
			  Domain name  Purpose 
			 bmespark.com Black Minority Ethnic Supporting people web site 
			 bmespark.co.uk Alias of bmespark.com 
			 bmespark.org.uk Alias of bmespark.com 
			 bvpi.gov.uk Best value performance indicators website 
			 cleanersafergreener.gov.uk Best practice website on building cleaner safer greener communities 
			 communities.gov.uk Corporate DCLG web presence 
			 community-fire-safety.co.uk Alias of firekills.gov.uk 
			 community-fire-safety.org.uk Alias of firekills.gov.uk 
			 dclg.gov.uk Alternative corporate website address—redirects to communities.gov.uk 
			 fire.gov.uk Fire gateway website 
			 firekills.gov.uk Fire safety website 
			 firekills.co.uk Alias of firekills.gov.uk 
			 fire-kills.co.uk Alias of firekills.gov.uk 
			 firelink.org.uk National Wide Area Radio system for the fire and rescue service website 
			 firesafetytoolbox.org.uk Fire safety campaigning material for fire service 
			 firesafetytoolbox.co.uk Alias of firesafetytoolbox.co.uk 
			 futureleadership.gov.uk Management development programme for local authorities 
			 getfirewise.com Children's fire safety guidance 
			 getfirewise.co.uk Alias of getfirewise.com 
			 getfirewise.gov.uk Alias of getfirewise.com 
			 homeinformationpack.gov.uk Website providing details of new home information packs 
			 homeinformationpacks.gov.uk Alias of homeinformationpack.gov.uk 
			 iggi.gov.uk Intra Governmental Group on Geographic Information website 
			 info4local.gov.uk Provides local authorities with quick and easy access to information from central Government 
			 irfs.org.uk Independent review of the fire service website—now defunct 
			 localegov.gov.uk Local egovernment programme website 
			 local-egov.gov.uk Alias of localegov.gov.uk 
			 mapsontap.gov.uk Information and mapping service for government 
			 mycouncil.gov.uk Directs public to direct.gov.uk/mycouncil 
			 neighbourhood.gov.uk Neighbourhood renewal unit website 
			 neighbourhoods.gov.uk Alias of neighbourhood.gov.uk 
			 neighbourhoodrenewal.gov.uk Alias of neighbourhood.gov.uk 
			 nlud.org National Land use database website 
			 odpm.gov.uk Former corporate web presence—redirects to communities.gov.uk 
			 planningportal.gov.uk Online planning and building regulations resource 
			 propertylicense.gov.uk Alias of propertylicence.gov.uk 
			 propertylicence.gov.uk Direct public to information on mandatory licensing for landlords of homes in multiple occupation 
			 renewal.net Neighbourhood renewal guidance website 
			 spdirectory.org.uk Supporting People Programme Directory of Services 
			 spkweb.org.uk Supporting People programme for vulnerable people—website 
			 togetherwecan.info Together we can campaign website 
			 womenandequality.gov.uk Women and equality unit website

Departmental Websites

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what websites come under her Department's responsibility; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) number of visitors to those sites were in 2005-06.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) on 4 July 2006,  Official Report, column 958W for the list of websites under the Department's responsibility and the cost of those sites. Visitor figures are shown as follows for DCLG sites April 2005-March 2006. DCLG websites are hosted on a number of platforms with different methodologies for evaluating usage. I have listed those sites for which visitor figures are available. Where estimated, figures are based on averages or projections of available data where hosting arrangements changed during the year.
	
		
			   Visitor figures 
			 Main corporate site (odpm.gov.uk and subdomains) (1)2,271,208 
			 Planning portal (planningportal.gov.uk) 834,432 
			 Renewal net (renewal.net) 752,190 
			 Women and equality unit (womenandequality.gov.uk) (1)272,400 
			 Info4local (info4local.gov.uk) 246,500 
			 Neighbourhood renewal unit (neighbourhood.gov.uk) 164,137 
			 Supporting people (spkweb.org.uk) 137,579 
			 Fire Kills (www.firekills.gov.uk) 316,813 
			 Other DCLG sites for which statistics are available 246,714 
			 (1) Estimated

Employment Opportunities (Ethnic Minorities)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to promote opportunities for  (a) women and  (b) men of ethnic minority origin to gain employment in (i) Coventry, South and (ii) the West Midlands.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	We are committed to helping all those who may be disadvantaged in the labour market. Specifically, we have a public service agreement target to
	'Increase the employment rate of ethnic minorities and significantly reduce the difference between the overall employment rate and that of ethnic minorities'.
	Support for people from ethnic minorities is provided locally through Jobcentre Plus, which offers employment services to all people of working age. For those furthest from the labour market and who are not using Jobcentre Plus services, our Ethnic Minority Outreach programme also offers the opportunity for people to find and keep work. Since its introduction Ethnic Minority Outreach has achieved over 10,000 successful job outcomes.
	On 11 July we announced the launch of a new independent body to help ethnic minorities find work. The Ethnic Minority Advisory Group, which is made up of 22 representatives from across the ethnic community, has been set up as part of the Government's welfare reform agenda to boost employment opportunities for ethnic minorities.
	The new advisory group will be a way of getting to the heart of the community and finding out the best ways to close the employment gap. To do this, we will work in partnership, focussing on what will work for local communities.

Housing Act

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she next plans to discuss the operation of section 21 (4a) of the Housing Act 1988 with local authority representatives.

Angela Smith: My Department has never received any requests from local authorities or their representative bodies to discuss with them section 21 (4a) of the Housing Act 1988. This is the section that allows private landlords, by giving two months notice, to regain possession of their property following the end of a contracted fixed term or during a periodic tenancy provided it is six months after the start of the original tenancy.

Swindon Council

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the meetings held by officials from her Department with Swindon borough council in 2004 and 2005 to improve the performance of the councillors running Swindon borough council.

Angela Smith: holding answer 17 July 2006
	Meetings between officials from the then ODPM and Swindon borough council during 2004 and 2005 were intended to encourage a sustained focus by the Council on overall improvement of its performance. By December 2005, Swindon had improved from a Comprehensive Performance Assessment rating of "poor" to achieve a rating of two stars and "improving well". In the light of this improved performance, ODPM's close engagement with Swindon borough council ceased in early 2006 as it was considered to have achieved its objectives. Swindon continues to receive support, where necessary, from the Government Office for the South West.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Autism

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is given to local authorities to assist them in developing best practice on the disabled children's module of the National Service Framework 2004 when identifying autistic spectrum disorder; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Standard 8 of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, targeted at local authorities and others, is for disabled children and young people and those with complex health needs. Children and young people receive co-ordinated, high-quality child and family-centred services that are based on assessed needs, promote social inclusion and, where possible, enable them and their families to live ordinary lives.
	The NSF has been supported by a number of exemplars, including one on autism. This sets out an optimal pathway for a boy with autism, beginning at the age of three, from initial concern and contact with primary care, through a developmental and a multi-agency assessment, the drawing up of a family support plan and early educational intervention and on to the transitions between primary and secondary school and secondary school and adult life.
	Local authorities have a duty under the Education Act 1996, where necessary, to identify, assess and make suitable provision for children with special educational needs (SEN), including those with autistic spectrum disorders. When doing so, local authorities have to have regard to the SEN Code of Practice. "Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Good Practice Guidance" (2002, Department for Education and Skills and Department of Health) is also available for local authorities. It includes pointers to good practice on identification.

Buddhism

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his Department's list of organisations consulted on religious issues affecting matters concerning his Department, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Network of Buddhist Organisations is representative of that faith's adherents; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The DfES has made no such assessment. The Network of Buddhist Organisations is one of the organisations that the Department consults on relevant issues.

Bullying

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the incidence of bullying in schools was in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: We are unable to provide this information as we do not collect these data centrally. However, in our anti-bullying guidance, we encourage all schools to record incidents of bullying and there is a requirement to record all racist incidents.

CAFCASS

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many private law cases were completed by CAFCASS in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06;
	(2)  what the average yearly work load was for a guardian ad litem in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas, the chief executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 14 July 2006:
	 Parliamentary Questions Concerning CAFCASS
	I am writing to you in response to the two parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
	 PQ83252—how many private law cases were completed by CAFCASS in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06.
	Private law reports completed by CAFCASS were as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 29,761 
			 2005-06 25,290 
		
	
	 PQ83256— what was the average yearly workload for a Guardian ad Litem in each of the last five years.
	CAFCASS practitioners cover public and private law cases. Some other work, such as adoption cases, can be the subject of either a public or a private law case.
	Based on previous years calculations, the average workload for each individual practitioner at any one time is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Care (public)  
			  10 
			  8 
			  6 
			  4 
			  0 
			   
			  Other non-care (private)  
			  0 
			  6 
			  13 
			  20 
			  26 
		
	
	The duration for each care case (from application to final order) will affect the number at any one time. For the purpose of this comparison, a care case is assumed to take 52 weeks. The Public Law Judicial Protocol aims to see all cases completed within 40 weeks, and this target will be supported by the recommendations of the recent review of Care Proceedings, once implemented.
	Average workloads in CAFCASS are changing considerably due to changes in working practices underway, such as the rapid rise in the amount of practitioner time going into dispute resolution work in private law cases. Other reforms, such as writing shorter more analytical reports, also aim to increase productivity and the number of cases a practitioner can deal with at any one time within a reasonable caseload.

CAFCASS

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what staff redundancies in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service are projected during 2006-07;
	(2)  what savings the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service will be making during 2006-07; and what assessment has been made of the impact of these savings.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 6 July 2006
	These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 14 July 2006:
	I am writing to you in response to the two parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
	 PQ83057—what staff redundancies in CAFCASS are projected during the current financial year.
	CAFCASS has no plans for redundancies in the current financial year. I anticipate that savings targets can be achieved through increased productivity and efficiency savings.
	 PQ83058—what savings CAFCASS will be making during the current financial year; and whether there has been an assessment of the impact of these savings.
	CAFCASS's budget in the current financial year has the same baseline as last year. Savings of £4.5 million will need to be made to balance the budget. We have received an extra £4.7 million funding from DfES for this financial year only, to help with our change programmes. This will help us to develop our IT systems, to roll out our new case management information system across all our offices, and to reform our working practices where this is needed. The bulk of savings will be made through efficiency measures, such as procurement savings and more efficient working of cases.
	The impact of savings targets and measures is being kept under constant review, both at Board and Executive level.

CAFCASS

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to upgrade IT systems within the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2006-07;
	(2)  what plans he has for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service training budget for 2006-07;
	(3)  what the average time taken to complete a Section 7 report in private law was in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many cases are on the waiting list in public law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, broken down by region;
	(5)  what average length of time was taken to complete a Section 7 case with private law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last 12 months.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 10 July 2006
	These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, CAFCASS. Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 14 July 2006:
	 Parliamentary Questions Concerning CAFCASS
	I am writing to you in response to the five parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
	 PQ83403—what plans he has to upgrade IT systems within the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2006-07.
	During 2006/07 CAFCASS will be upgrading its IT network and moving to a more up to date Internet Protocol Over Virtual Private Network system which will improve functionality and allow for further development across a range of IT-enabled initiatives. This will support the roll out of our new Case Recording System, document management systems and will support mobile/flexible working. This is a major development programme with a detailed implementation plan. Completion of all programmes is expected by April 2007.
	 PQ83404—what plans he has to freeze the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service training budget for 2006-07.
	An additional £500,000 has been put into the CAFCASS training budget in 2006-07, thereby increasing spend on training to £1.22 million. This does not include staff time, which is an additional support at both the national and regional levels.
	 PQ83405—what the average time taken to complete a Section 7 report in private law was in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the latest period for which figures are available.
	This figure is not kept as a statistic or performance indicator. The notional average for purposes of workload calculation is 25 hours, though with the complexity of cases increasing, this is likely to be an underestimate. A great number of cases that were once the subject of s7 reports are now dealt with earlier and quicker in our dispute resolution programmes. This in turn means the fewer cases subject to s7 reports are those much harder to resolve, and consequently, they take longer. In practice, the variation in cases is large, between 20 hours at the lower end and over 100 hours for the hardest cases.
	 PQ83521—how many cases are on the waiting list in public law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, broken down by region.
	Our latest figure for this, at the end of May 2006, was as follows:
	
		
			  CAFCASS Public Law Unallocated Cases Snapshot, End May 2006 
			  Region  Public Law Unallocated Cases  Total Workload  Percentage of Total Workload 
			 East Midlands 0 621 0.0 
			 Eastern 30 962 3.1 
			 Greater London 89 2,358 3.6 
			 North East 32 663 4.8 
			 North West 21 1,444 1.5 
			 South East 42 838 5.0 
			 South West 6 989 0.6 
			 Southern 6 868 0.7 
			 West Midlands 37 1,289 2.9 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 11 1,301 0.8 
			 National Total 274 11,333 2.4 
		
	
	Our Key Performance Indicator for this is that no more than 3% of public law cases should be unallocated at month end.
	 PQ83522—what average length of time was taken to complete a Section 7 case with private law in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the last 12 months.
	In respect of cases received and completed during the period 1 January 2006 to 31 May 2006, the average duration of a s7 Report (working days) by regions was as follows:
	
		
			  Region  Number of Days 
			 East Midlands 75 
			 Eastern 65 
			 North East 63 
			 North West 45 
			 South East 68 
			 South West 58 
			 Southern 90 
			 West Midlands 71 
			 Yorkshire 64 
		
	
	Giving a National Average of 63 days.
	We do not keep statistics of how many weeks or months these days represent. Cases vary in the length they take for a range of reasons, such as their complexity, and the requirements of all the other cases an individual practitioner holds on their caseload at any given time.

Child Care

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of the Child Care Affordability Programme (CCAP) has been in each year of its existence; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the introduction of the CCAP to all other local authorities.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The Childcare Affordability Programme launched in November 2005 is jointly funded by the London Development Agency (£22 million over 2005-08) and the DfES (£11 million over 2006-08). The DfES contribution is £5 million for 2006-07 and £6 million for 2007-08. DfES is also funding the evaluation of the Programme at a cost of £300,000.
	It is too early in the Programme to consider its extension to other local authorities.

Disability Awareness

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision is made within the school curriculum for awareness of physical, medical and mental disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: There are many opportunities in the school curriculum for raising awareness of physical, medical and mental disabilities. Through the non-statutory Personal, Social and Health Education framework and statutory National Curriculum Citizenship Education, pupils are taught that differences and similarities between people arise from a number of factors, including disability, and about the need for mutual respect and understanding. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on spiritual, moral, social, and cultural issues, using imagination to understand other people's experiences. They are taught about the causes, symptoms and treatments for stress and depression, and to identify strategies for prevention and management and how to seek professional advice confidently and find information about health. National Curriculum Science also examines how human health is affected by a range of environmental and inherited factors.

Examiners

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are employed as  (a) GCSE and  (b) A-level examiners in England.

Jim Knight: No central database is kept of examiner numbers. However, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) estimates that the three English-based unitary awarding bodies (AQA, OCR and Edexcel) contracted approximately 56,000 people as examiners and moderators for GCSEs, A-levels and related qualifications in 2005/06.

GCSEs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students achieved five or more GCSEs grade A*-C in rural comprehensive secondary schools of  (a) fewer than 100 students,  (b) 100-199 students,  (c) 200-299 students,  (d) 300-399 students,  (e) 400-499 students,  (f) 500-599 students,  (g) 600-700 students and  (h) over 700 students in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  GCSE and equivalent achievement of pupils( 1)  at the end of Key Stage 4 by the end of 2004/05( 2)  in comprehensive schools( 3) , by size of school 
			  Total number of pupils in school  Number of pupils at end of Key Stage 4  Number of pupils at end of Key Stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent  Percentage of pupils at end of Key Stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE or equivalent 
			  (a) <100 9 2 22.2 
			  (b) 100-199 319 155 48.6 
			  (c) 200-299 474 233 49.2 
			  (d) 300-399 1,493 539 36.1 
			  (e) 400-499 5,599 2,398 42.8 
			  (f) 500-599 14,043 6,621 47.1 
			  (g) 600-699 20,568 10,323 50.2 
			  (h) >=700 480,379 265,650 55.3 
			 (1) Number of pupils on roll at the end of Key Stage 4 in the 2004/05 academic year.  (2) Includes achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.  (3) Including City Technology Colleges and Academies.

Pupils' Travel

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average distance a pupil travels to school in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas; what steps the Government have taken to lower the cost of travel to school for students in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not routinely collect information on the average distance pupils travel to school, and an answer to this question could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, data derived from pupil level annual school census returns in 2005 showed the following pattern in secondary schools by region(1).
	(1) Source PLASC 2005. Includes pupils aged five to 15 attending maintained secondary schools (excluding middle deemed), CTCs and academies. Distances are measured on a straight line basis.
	
		
			  Region  Distance (Miles) 
			 North East 1.53 
			 North West 1.60 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 1.69 
			 East Midlands 1.99 
			 West Midlands 1.64 
			 East of England 2.14 
			 London 1.55 
			 South East 2.13 
			 South West 2.17 
			 England 1.83 
		
	
	The Education and Inspections Bill includes provisions that extend entitlement to free home to school transport for low-income families, and will enable a small number of local authorities to propose pathfinder schemes to test innovative arrangements supporting choice, and increasing the proportion of pupils travelling by sustainable means.

SATS

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department offers schools on  (a) the allocation of extra time for certain pupils in the SATS testing regime and  (b) the criteria which should be applied in such cases; how the allocation of extra time across the country is monitored and assessed; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Additional time is among the access arrangements available in the National Curriculum tests to enable children to take those tests on an equal footing. The circumstances in which pupils may be allowed additional time are set out in the "Assessment and reporting arrangements" booklets published by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. These are sent to schools in October each year and are available from the website www.naa.org.uk/tests. The arrangements are monitored through the requests for permission for allowing additional time made by schools to local authorities and the National Assessment Agency, and in the routine monitoring of test administration undertaken by local authorities and the National Assessment Agency.

School Premises

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total area of land was taken up by school premises in England in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: Data on areas of school sites were supplied to my Department by local education authorities in 2001 and 2003. However, the completeness and quality of the data is not good enough to accurately assess the total area of land taken up by school premises.

Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many international students participated in the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme in 2005; and what estimate he has made of the number of international students who will participate in the scheme in 2006.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	2,889 international students participated in the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme in 2005.
	Between 1 January 2006 and 30 June 2006 a total of 2,000 international students participated in the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme. On that basis it is estimated that this figure will rise to over 4,000 before the end of 2006.
	This information has not been quality assured, and is not a National Statistic. It should be treated as provisional management information and may be subject to change.

Student Funding

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average amount of funding per student is in comprehensive secondary schools of  (a) fewer than 100,  (b) 100-199,  (c) 200-299,  (d) 300-399,  (e) 400-499,  (f) 500-599,  (g) 600-700 and  (h) over 700 students in  (i) rural areas and (ii) non-rural areas in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The available information is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Comprehensive secondary budgeted expenditure( 1)  per pupil( 2)  in urban and rural schools( 3)  by school size in England during the 2006-07 financial year. 
			  Size of school ( 3) Urban schools ( 3) Rural schools 
			 (a) less than 100 pupils 4,790  
			 (b) 100 up to, but not including, 200 4,700 6,340 
			 (c) 200 up to, but not including, 300 5,580 5,830 
			 (d) 300 up to, but not including, 400 5,150 4,320 
			 (e) 400 up to, but not including, 500 4,990 4,220 
			 (f) 500 up to, but not including, 600 4,790 3,990 
			 (g) 600 up to, but not including, 700 4,590 3,810 
			 (h) 700 and above 4,120 3,830 
			 All school sizes 4,170 3,850 
			 (1) Budgeted expenditure includes total budget share plus Schools Standards Grant, School Development Grant, Other Standards Fund Allocation, Devolved School Means grant, Threshold and performance pay and Support for schools in financial difficulty. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. This is drawn from the 2006-07 Section 52 Budget Statement (Table 2). Schools that are proposed to close according to Edubase (the DfES database of educational establishments) in the 2006-07 financial year have been excluded. (2) Pupil numbers are taken from Table 2 of Section 52 Budget, FTE Pupils (including LSC pupils). (3) The urban/rural classification is drawn from the Edubase. (4) No schools.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 13 July 2006. 2. Data remain provisional and are subject to change by local authorities.

Teachers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the availability of trained specialist school teachers in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics,  (c) science,  (d) modern languages and  (e) information and communication technology in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following tables provide the information available on the recruitment, training and teachers in service by subject specialism. This information is not available for rural areas only.
	Table 1 provides the number of students recruited to initial teacher training courses by phase and subject for academic years 2001/02 to 2005/06.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recruitment to initial teacher training courses( 1, 2) —Academic years 2000/01 to 2005/06 by phase and subject specialism, England 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  Percentage increase 2004/05 to 2005/06 
			Actual  Places  % difference +/-  
			  Primary and secondary  
			 Undergraduate 8,100 7,830 7,790 7,850 8,250 8,170 — — -1 
			 Postgraduate 19,620 21,260 23,370 25,780 25,860 25,250 — — -2 
			 Of which:  
			 School centred/ other non-HEI 1,060 1,190 1,420 1,540 1,720 1,740 — — 1 
			 Total 27,720 29,090 31,160 33,630 34,110 33,410 34,300 -3 -2 
			 Fast Track(3) n/a 110 120 300 400 420 — — — 
			 Grand total 27,720 29,190 31,280 33,930 34,520 33,830 — — — 
			   
			  Primary  
			 Undergraduate 6,580 6,390 6,490 6,600 7,030 6,960 — — -1 
			 Postgraduate 6,590 6,720 8,000 8,980 9,420 9,060 — — -4 
			 Of which:  
			 School centred/ other non-HEI 510 590 740 810 890 910 — — 2 
			 Total 13,170 13,110 14,490 15,580 16,450 16,020 15,800 1 -3 
			 Fast Track(3) n/a 30 30 60 90 90 — — — 
			 Grand total 13,170 13,140 14,520 15,640 16,540 16,110 — — — 
			   
			  Secondary  
			 Undergraduate 1,520 1,440 1,300 1,260 1,220 1,210 — — -1 
			 Postgraduate 13,020 14,530 15,370 16,790 16,440 16,190 — — -2 
			 Of which:  
			 School centred/ other non-HEI 550 600 680 730 830 840 — — 0 
			 Total 14,540 15,980 16,670 18,050 17,670 17,390 18,500 -6 -2 
			 Fast Track(3) n/a 80 90 240 310 320 — — — 
			 Grand total 14,540 16,060 16,760 18,290 17,980 17,720 — — — 
			   
			  Secondary by subject  
			 Mathematics 1,290 1,550 1,670 1,940 2,030 2,010 2,350 -14 -1 
			 English (inc. drama) 2,030 2,220 2,480 2,420 2,380 2,110 2,200 -4 -11 
			 Science 2,410 2,590 2,700 2,870 2,830 2,930 3,225 -9 4 
			 Modern foreign languages 1,640 1,710 1,730 1,820 1,620 1,560 1,900 -18 -4 
			 Technology(4) 1,860 2,160 2,400 2,670 2,610 2,570 2,890 -11 -2 
			 History 910 920 990 1,000 910 850 810 5 -7 
			 Geography 900 1,030 950 990 900 820 925 -12 -10 
			 Physical education 1,210 1,330 1,330 1,590 1,530 1,530 1,450 6 0 
			 Art 850 840 890 930 860 780 800 -3 -10 
			 Music 560 650 600 620 600 650 690 -5 8 
			 Religious education 570 590 580 590 630 670 730 -8 7 
			 Citizenship(5) 0 150 190 220 240 230 240 -5 -3 
			 Other(6) 320 230 170 230 250 360 290 26 46 
			   
			 Vocational subjects(7) n/a n/a n/a 160 280 330 — — 18 
			   
			 Total 14,540 15,980 16,670 18,050 17,670 17,390 18,500 -6 -2 
			 Fast Track(3) n/a 80 90 240 310 320 — — — 
			 Grand total 14,540 16,060 16,760 18,290 17,980 17,720 — — — 
			 n/a = not available. (1) Recruitment figures for 2005/06 are provisional and are subject to change.  (2) Includes Universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. Recruitment numbers shown are rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been calculated on the actual figure, rather than the rounded.  (3) 2001/02 was the first year of Fast Track recruitment.  (4) Technology includes design and technology, information and communications technology, business studies and home economics.  (5)2001 /02 was the first year of recruitment for citizenship.  (6) Other includes classics, dance, economics, media, performing arts and social studies.  (7) Vocational subjects includes applied ICT, applied science, applied business, engineering, manufacturing, and health and social care. 2003/04 was the first year of recruitment for these subjects.   Source:  TDA's ITT Trainee Numbers Census 2000/01 - 2005/06 Available places—DfES. 
		
	
	Table 2 provides the number of teachers gaining qualified teachers status by qualification and phase of training in academic years 2001/02 to 2003/04.
	
		
			  Table 2: Teachers gaining qualified teacher status( 1)  in academic years 2001/02 to 2003/04—Qualification by phase of training, England 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04 
			   UG  PG  Total  UG  PG  Total  UG  PG  Total 
			  Primary and secondary 6,340 16,940 23,280 6,250 19,180 25,430 5,880 21,460 27,340 
			   
			  Primary 5,110 5,610 10,720 5,140 6,800 11,930 4,890 7,580 12,470 
			   
			  Secondary 1,220 11,330 12,550 1,110 12,380 13,490 990 13,880 14,870 
			 Of which:  
			 Mathematics 120 970 1,090 120 1,140 1,270 100 1,420 1,520 
			 English (inc. drama) 70 1,730 1,800 70 2,000 2,070 60 2,110 2,170 
			 Science 120 1,910 2,030 120 2,030 2,140 90 2,230 2,310 
			 Modern foreign languages 20 1,330 1,340 10 1,340 1,350 10 1,440 1,450 
			 Technology(2) 270 1,270 1,540 260 1,600 1,850 240 1,810 2,060 
			 History — 790 790 — 840 840 — 850 850 
			 Geography 20 780 810 20 770 800 10 840 850 
			 Art and design 10 630 630 10 720 720 — 810 810 
			 Music 20 450 470 20 440 460 10 500 510 
			 Religious education — 440 440 10 430 440 — 450 460 
			 Physical education 580 690 1,270 480 700 1,180 470 930 1,390 
			 Other(3) — 360 360 — 390 390 — 480 480 
			 (1) Includes those trained through SCITTs, but excludes completers through employment based routes.  (2) Technology includes Business Studies, Information and Communications Technology and Design and Technology.  (3) Other includes Citizenship, Citizenship and Business Studies, Citizenship and History, Social Studies, Classics and Ecc.   Note:  "UG" equals Undergraduate, "PG" equals Postgraduate.   Source:  TDA Performance Profiles. 
		
	
	Table 3 provides the number of teachers teaching by subject in maintained secondary schools and the highest post A-level qualification held in the subject taught.
	
		
			  Table 3: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A-level qualification( 1)  held in the subjects they teach( 2)  to year groups 7-13, England 
			   Percentage  
			   Degree( 3)  BEd  PGCE  Cert Ed  Other Qual.  No Qual.  Total teachers (Thousand) 
			 Mathematics 42 ± 3 15 ± 2 9 ± 2 7 ± 1 2 ± 1 24 ± 2 28.2 
			 English 51 ± 3 15 ± 2 7 ± 1 6 ± 1 1 ± 1 20 ± 2 29.4 
			 
			 Combined/General science 62 ± 3 12 ± 2 10 ± 2 4 ± 1 1 ± 1 11 ± 2 28.3 
			 Biology(4) 71 ± 5 7 ± 3 11 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± 1 7 ± 3 5.6 
			 Chemistry(4) 72 ± 5 6 ± 3 12 ± 4 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 7 ± 3 5.2 
			 Physics(4) 63 ± 6 11 ± 4 15 ± 4 3 ± 2 - ± - 8 ± 3 4.7 
			 Other sciences(4) 10 ± 6 4 ± 4 5 ± 4 - ± - - ± - 80 ± 8 1.6 
			 
			 French 54 ± 3 7 ± 2 10 ± 2 3 ± 1 2 ± 1 23 ± 3 16.0 
			 German 47 ± 5 6 ± 3 13 ± 4 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 30 ± 5 6.9 
			 Spanish 37 ± 7 8 ± 4 19 ± 6 - ± - 3 ± 2 33 ± 7 3.6 
			 Other modern languages 18 ± 8 - ± - 9 ± 7 - ± - 3 ± 4 71 ±10 1.4 
			 
			 Design and technology(5) 26 ± 3 20 ± 3 7 ± 2 21 ± 3 2 ± 1 24 ± 3 20.9 
			 ICT(5, 6) 13 ± 2 6 ± 1 8 ± 2 2 ± 1 3 ± 1 69 ± 3 18.9 
			 Other/Combined technology(5) 30 ± 10 13 ± 8 16 ± 7 18 ± 9 2 ± 3 20 ± 9 1.6 
			 
			 Business studies 30 ± 5 11 ± 4 9 ± 3 4 ± 2 3 ± 2 43 ± 5 6.5 
			 Classics 33 ± 7 - ± - 2 ± 4 2 ± - - ± - 63 ± 7 1.0 
			 History 57 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 6 ± 2 - ± - 23 ± 3 13.7 
			 Religious education 22 ± 3 8 ± 2 8 ± 2 4 ± 1 2 ± 1 57 ± 4 14.2 
			 Geography 53 ± 4 9 ± 2 6 ± 2 5 ± 2 1 ± 1 25 ± 3 13.7 
			 Other social studies 35 ± 5 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 2 ± 1 - ± 1 54 ± 6 4.9 
			 Combined arts/humanities/ social studies 5 ± 3 4 ± 2 7 ± 3 1 ± 1 1 ± 1 83 ± 5 5.3 
			 
			 Music 59 ± 5 15 ± 4 5 ± 2 6 ± 3 2 ± 2 13 ± 4 6.3 
			 Drama 25 ± 4 10 ± 3 12 ± 3 6 ± 2 2 ± 1 45 ± 5 8.1 
			 Art and design 54 ± 4 10 ± 3 7 ± 2 9 ± 3 1 ± 1 20 ± 4 9.3 
			 Physical education 25 ± 3 31 ± 3 6 ± 2 13 ± 2 2 ± 1 22 ± 2 21.4 
			 Careers education 2 ± 2 1 ± 2 3 ± 3 4 ± 4 3 ± 4 87 ± 7 1.5 
			 PSHE(6) 1 ± - 1 ± - 2 ± 1 1 ± - - ± - 95 ± 1 61.4 
			 General studies 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 95 ± 2 7.1 
			 Citizenship 2 ± 1 1 ± 1 2 ± 1 - ± 1 - ± - 94 ± 2 9.0 
			 Other — — — — — — 32.8 
			 
			 Total(2, 7) 33 ± - 10 ±- 7 ± - 5 ± - 1 ± - 44 ± - 388.4 
			 '-' = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A-level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal, Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) 'Other' not included in total percentages.  Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

Teachers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) vacancies and  (b) temporary replacements there are for head teachers in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table provides the number of full-time head teacher vacancies and temporarily filled vacancies in January 2006 (provisional), the latest information available.
	
		
			  Full-time head teacher vacancies and full-time temporarily filled head teacher posts in local authority maintained schools in England, January 2006( 1) 
			   All maintained schools  Maintained secondary schools 
			 Full-time head teacher vacancies 180 30 
			 Full-time temporarily filled head teacher posts(2) 660 80 
			 (1 )Provisional.  (2 )Temporarily-filled full-time permanent appointments. The definition used is wider than the vacancy definition (bullet points b and c below are in addition to the normal vacancy definition). A post is included in this row of the table: a. where there is no incumbent who is expected to return to the post; b. whether or not filled on a temporary basis, i.e. either without a contract or on a contract of less than one year; c. whether or not advertised; d. where an appointment has been made but not yet taken up.   Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618g).

Teachers

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacancies there were for  (a) infant,  (b) primary and  (c) secondary school (i) teachers and (ii) head teachers in (A) Greater London and (B) the London borough of Bexley in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of full-time primary and secondary school vacancies for head and other teachers in the London Government Office Region and Bexley local authority in January 2005. Vacancies are those that existed at the survey date and not for the full 12 month period. Infant school vacancies are included with primary schools and are not available separately.
	Vacancy information for 2006 at local authority and regional level by phase of education will be published in September.
	
		
			  Full-time vacancy( 1)  numbers in London government office regions and Bexley local authority by grade and phase of education, January 2005 
			   Nursery and primary  Secondary 
			  London   
			 Head teachers 14 11 
			 Other teachers(2) 233 357 
			 Total 247 368 
			
			  Bexley   
			 Head teachers 0 2 
			 Other teachers(2) 17 21 
			 Total 17 23 
			 (1) A vacancy refers to full-time appointment of at least one term's duration that, on the survey date in January, had been advertised but not filled. Vacancies include those filled on a temporary basis unless filled by someone with a fixed term contract of one term or more.  (2) Includes vacancies for deputy and assistant head teachers, ASTs and post threshold and other qualified classroom grade teachers.   Source:  Annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, (618 g)

Venture Capital Funds

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many locally based venture capital funds have been set up since 1999.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	DTI does not operate locally based venture capital funds. To discover the number of funds run by others, including local authorities, would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Small Business Service has invested in nine Regional Venture Capital Funds and three Early Growth Funds with a regional focus.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what progress has been made with the work of the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force (EMETF) has met regularly since its inception in 2003. Details of its work to fulfil the recommendations of the Strategy Unit's report, "Ethnic Minorities and the Labour Market" (March 2003), have been presented annually to the Economic Affairs, Productivity and Competitiveness (EAPC) by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and are available at www.emetaskforce.gov.uk and copies have been placed in the Library.
	In 2005, the Task Force was also given responsibility for taking forward the main conclusions of the National Employment Panel's report: "Enterprising People: Enterprising Places" (May 2005). Current priorities include work on the City Strategy; developing an outreach service to focus on non-working ethnic minority partners in low income households; expanding the data and research evidence base; and developing the opportunities presented by the Olympics to raise ethnic minority employment.
	The third EMETF annual report will be published later this year and will include the findings of the independent review to be undertaken in the Autumn. The EMETF is supported and advised by the Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG) which has a membership comprising members of the ethnic minority voluntary, business and training sectors, faith groups, academics and its chair sits on the EMETF.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Biometrics

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance the Information Commissioner has given to  (a) local education authorities and  (b) local authorities on the collection and the use of biometric identification, including fingerprint recognition, for the provision of local authority services.

Vera Baird: I understand that the Information Commissioner has received inquiries from a range of public authorities about the use of biometrics for the delivery of services, and that he has provided guidance in response to the specific inquiries. He has not issued generic guidance on the use of biometric identification.

Care Cases

Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase the proportion of care cases being completed in the courts within 40 weeks by 10 per cent. by 2009-10.

Harriet Harman: DCA is working with DfES, the Welsh Assembly, the judiciary, local authorities and other delivery agencies to increase the proportion of cases completed in 40 weeks by implementing the recommendations of the "Review of the Child Care Proceedings System in England and Wales" (published May 2006). This work seeks to reduce delay by focusing on seven key areas:
	Ensuring families and children understand proceedings
	Exploration of safe and appropriate alternatives to court proceedings
	Improved consistency and quality of s 31 (care proceedings) applications to court
	Improved case management
	Inter-agency working/communications
	Judicial allocation/use of court facilities
	Experts
	Revised statutory guidance for local authorities and new practice directions/protocols for courts will underpin case management processes.
	Actions in the past year which are expected to affect the proportion of cases completed in 40 weeks include;
	installation of video conferencing equipment in care centres enabling experts to give evidence remotely,
	establishment of local family justice councils who have held conferences to identify how local agencies can best work together to reduce delay
	piloting of family courts centres (co-located county court and family proceedings courts) allowing for the more efficient management and allocation of court business at local level
	piloting the use of case progression officers in family courts
	allowing nominated recorders and district judges (county courts) to hear care cases.

Chelmsford Court (PFI)

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the status is of the Chelmsford magistrates/coroner's court private finance initiative scheme; when she expects work  (a) to commence and  (b) to be completed on the building project; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Essex magistrates court scheme, of which Chelmsford is part, continues to be within the programme of new court projects. My Department is still finalising investment plans, as part of the development of a Business and Estates Strategy for Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS). A further announcement will be made once spending plans have been agreed with Treasury. In March 2006 HMCS purchased a site for the new courthouse in Chelmsford and outline planning approval has been obtained.

Disputes Resolution

Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase the advice and assistance available to help people resolve their disputes earlier and more effectively.

Vera Baird: In line with the strategy set out in the recent "Getting Earlier, Better Advice to Vulnerable People" document my Department is encouraging closer working among advice leads across Whitehall. This will ensure more effective referral networks are in place so that people get the service they need regardless of their point of access to the system.
	My Department is supporting the Legal Services Commission as it implements its new community legal service strategy. In 2005-06 over 708,000 new civil legal aid cases were started by the Legal Services Commission, the highest at any point since 2000.
	The DCA also provides funding to the LawWorks project, which aims to increase the delivery of free legal advice to individuals and communities in need.

Incapacity Benefit

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2006,  Official Report, column 970W, what assumption for planning purposes she has made of the number of incapacity benefit appeal cases  (a) by the end of 2006-07 and  (b) in each of the subsequent two years.

Vera Baird: The latest work load forecasts for incapacity benefit appeals are as follows. The Government have recently announced plans to replace incapacity benefit through measures in the Welfare Reform Bill currently before Parliament which could have an impact on those figures.
	
		
			   Intake 
			 2006-07 63,698 
			 2007-08 62,149 
			 2008-09 61,714

Special Advocates

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many statements have been made on behalf of  (a) murder and  (b) manslaughter victims by special advocates.

Harriet Harman: The scheme applies to such cases where a charge is brought on or after 24 April 2006 in one of the five pilot areas. None has yet come to trial or resulted in a guilty plea.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Slave Trade

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to commemorate in Liverpool the bicentenary of the Act to abolish the British slave trade.

David Lammy: My Department is committing £250,000 per year towards the running costs of National Museums Liverpool's new International Slavery Museum, which will open on 23 August 2007. National Museums Liverpool is a partner in the understanding slavery initiative museums education project, which supports the teaching of slavery in the classroom. National Museums Liverpool are part of the cross government advisory group on the bicentenary, which is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Gambling

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to take steps to  (a) regulate and  (b) place advertising restrictions on betting operators not licensed in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Advertising Standards Authority is working with the Gambling Commission to draw up new codes for gambling advertising, on which it will begin consulting shortly. The Secretary of State also has reserve powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to make regulations with regard to the form, content, timing and location of gambling advertising. She will not hesitate to use these powers if it becomes clear that self-regulation is not sufficient to protect children and vulnerable people from exploitation. Both the ASA codes and any Secretary of State regulations will apply to all non-broadcast advertising by gambling operators, wherever they are licensed.
	Ofcom will continue to set, review and revise standards for broadcast advertising by gambling operators. In doing so Ofcom must consult with the Gambling Commission, and reflect any relevant regulations made by the Secretary of State.
	Under the Gambling Act 2005 the Gambling Commission has the power to attach a condition to the licences it issues making provision for how gambling facilities may be advertised or described.
	In addition, Section 331 of the Gambling Act prohibits any gambling operator based outside the European Economic Area or Gibraltar from advertising in the UK unless a specific exemption has been made for that jurisdiction under sub-section 331(4).

Historic Environment Sites

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards increasing the numbers visiting designated historic environment sites by 3 per cent. by 2008.

David Lammy: We are working closely with English Heritage, the National Trust and others on a broad range of policies and programmes to increase participation in the historic environment by the priority groups.
	Performance is measured by the "Taking Part" survey and interim results indicate that currently 47 per cent. black and minority ethnic people, 58 per cent. of people with limiting disabilities and 57 per cent. of people from lower socio-economic groups have visited at least one type of historic environment site during the past year. Final baselines will be available at the end of the year, but performance against the target will not be assessed until the end of the target period in 2008.

Libraries

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made since the wider efficiency review into libraries carried out by the accountants and consultants PKF in June 2005.

David Lammy: The PKF report recommended that there were particular efficiencies to be found within the stock procurement systems. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) therefore commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to undertake a detailed study of the potential for efficiencies in this area and to develop a model to realise them. PwC will report on its proposals shortly. Work will then follow to implement its proposed model.
	We envisage that the work on stock procurement will provide lessons that could be transferred to other areas of public library management and service delivery—for example, in increased joint working and procurement of services such as marketing materials and reading promotions.
	PKF also recommended that library authorities should review staff management and staff structures towards optimum efficiency. Although this recommendation was directed at individual authorities, MLA is seeking to encourage the adoption of efficient working practices through current programmes such as peer reviews and through a number of proposed activities in the new 2006-08 "Framework for the Future" action plan.

Libraries

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the funding of public libraries was spent on books in the last period for which figures are available; and what the planned figure is for 2006-07.

David Lammy: According to the Public Library Statistics for 2004-05, published by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the 149 library authorities in England spent £69,010,676 on books and pamphlets and a further £6,201,131 on newspapers, periodicals and magazines out of total revenue expenditure of £912,620,958. These are the latest "actuals" figures available.
	Planned expenditure figures for 2006-07 are not held centrally.

Libraries

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the role of the Advisory Council for Libraries will differ from that of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

David Lammy: The Advisory Council on Libraries (ACL) is currently being re-constituted. When this process is complete there will be an equal number of serving public librarians and non-librarians with knowledge or expertise relevant to the work of public libraries. The ACL will advise DCMS Ministers and officials, and also Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) officials, on a range of public libraries issues. The ACL will meet two or three times a year.
	The MLA also advises DCMS and its Ministers as the full-time lead strategic agency for museums, libraries and archives. Working in partnership with its nine regional agencies, the MLA works to improve people's lives by building knowledge, supporting learning, inspiring creativity and celebrating identity. The MLA Partnership acts collectively for the benefit of the sector and the public, leading the transformation of museums, libraries and archives for the future.
	Current improvement programmes for public libraries include the various work strands of the Framework for the Future Action Plan, such as the leadership programme, peer reviews and the stock procurement project. It is also leading on work to review the Public Library Service Standards and Impact Measures.

Libraries

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the planned annual budget of the Advisory Council for Libraries.

David Lammy: The Advisory Council on Libraries (ACL) is currently being re-constituted. When this process is complete there will be 12 members with an equal number of serving public librarians and non-librarians with knowledge or expertise relevant to the work of public libraries.
	The ACL will not have an annual budget as its members will be unremunerated, receiving only reasonable travelling and subsistence expenses. These will be paid from DCMS running costs.

London Olympics

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in what ways she expects Northern Ireland to benefit from the 2012 Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: The Government are determined that the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, can contribute to and benefit from the games in 2012.
	Anticipated benefits include: increased interest and participation in sport, employment and business opportunities generated by hosting pre-event training camps, volunteering opportunities, an increase in tourism throughout the whole of the UK and the cultural festivities relating to the Cultural Olympiad.
	A Nations and Regions Group (NRG), has been established to provide leadership and strategic direction in ensuring that the whole of the UK is engaged with these benefits. Each nation and region, including Northern Ireland, is represented on the NRG and has been tasked with developing a delivery plan to ensure that the many opportunities are realised for their nation or region.
	Northern Ireland has established its own task force to drive forward this agenda. The group chaired by the permanent secretary of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), includes representation from sport, culture, tourism, Invest NI, local government and other interested bodies who will be responsible for delivering the benefits for Northern Ireland.

London Olympics

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of tourists visiting the South West region during the 2012 Olympics.

Shaun Woodward: My Department has made no estimate of the number of tourists who will visit the South West region during the 2012 Olympics.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public appointments are within her patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Tessa Jowell: Details of public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) can be found in Public Bodies, copies of which are in the Library. Public Bodies has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Public Bodies includes remuneration levels for all public appointments between 1980 and 2001, and remuneration levels for chairs for 2002-05.
	Information for 1976 in respect of bodies now sponsored by DCMS, and additional information on remuneration and emoluments which is not contained in the most recently published version of Public Bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Small Businesses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 719-20W, on advertising expenditure, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the information campaign targeted at small independent businesses.

David Lammy: In early June 2005, my Department launched a licensing communications campaign including PR, advertising and direct mail which targeted small independent businesses. The awareness-raising campaign proved highly effective and, together with the efforts of local authorities, trade associations and other stakeholders, helped increase the overall rate of applications from less than 5 per cent. in May 2005 to an estimated 98 per cent. of expected applications having been made by the time the new regime came into effect on 24 November.

Swimming Pools

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many 50 metre swimming pools there are in England; and where each is located.

Richard Caborn: There are currently 37 50 metre swimming pools in England. The table details where they are located:
	
		
			   Location 
			  North West  
			 Indoor Manchester (two) 
			  Stockport 
			  Wigan 
			   
			  East  
			 Indoor Norwich 
			 Outdoor Cambridge 
			   
			  South East  
			 Indoor St. Michael School, Sevenoaks 
			  Crawley 
			  High Wycombe 
			  Aldershot 
			 Outdoor Guildford 
			  Chalfont, Buckinghamshire 
			  Portsmouth 
			  Oxford 
			  Hitchin, Hertfordshire 
			  Letchworth, Hertfordshire 
			  Newbury 
			   
			  East Midlands  
			 Indoor Loughborough 
			 Outdoor Peterborough 
			   
			  South West  
			 Indoor Bath 
			  Millfield 
			 Outdoor Penzance 
			  Plymouth 
			  Torbay 
			  Cheltenham 
			  Lymington Spa 
			   
			  London  
			 Indoor Crystal Palace 
			  Ealing 
			 Outdoor Brockwell 
			  Charlton 
			  Haringey 
			  Parliament Hill 
			  Tooting Bec 
			  Royal Parks (Serpentine) 
			   
			  West Midlands  
			 Indoor Coventry 
			   
			  Yorkshire  
			 Indoor Leeds 
			  Sheffield 
		
	
	A further three 50 metre indoor pools are under construction and another is at the planning stage.

Theatre Funding

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the grant-in-aid to Arts Council England was allocated to theatre in each year from 1997 to 2005.

David Lammy: The following figures supplied by Arts Council England provide a breakdown of the information requested.
	
		
			  Arts Council England grant in -aid funding—theatre 
			   £000 
			 1996-97 47,899 
			 2001-02 58,612 
			 2002-03 71,669 
			 2003-04 85,501 
			 2004-05 90,692 
			 2005-06 94,937 
		
	
	Prior to the merger of the Arts Council of England and the regional Arts Boards, funding for theatre was distributed nationally by the Arts Council and regionally by the Arts Boards. For this reason it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for overall national funding for theatre before 2002-03. Figures for 1996-97 and 2001-02 are therefore indicative.

Theatre Funding

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Arts Council England allocation to subsidised theatre in each year from 1997 to 2005 was paid to  (a) actors,  (b) musicians and  (c) writers.

David Lammy: Arts Council England does not analyse expenditure by subsidised theatre organisations in the detail requested.
	However, Arts Council England's 2004-05 annual survey of regularly funded organisations provides information about income and expenditure on artistic programme costs and staff.(1)
	In 2004-05, £152.7 million was spent on artistic programme costs, including £67.5 million (44 per cent.) on artistic staff including actors, musicians and writers.
	During this period, theatre organisations employed 805 permanent artistic staff and 7,825 freelance/contractual staff.
	(1 )In 2004-05, valid survey returns were received from 216 theatre organisations, representing approximately 80 per cent. of Arts Council England's full theatre portfolio. Data from the 2004-05 survey are currently unpublished.

Theatre Funding

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from  (a) theatre managers,  (b) orchestras and  (c) entertainment trade unions on the impact on theatre of the comprehensive spending review for 2008 and 2011.

David Lammy: Arts Council England (ACE), in its role as lead body for the arts in England, has consulted the wider arts sector in formulating its contribution to the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) process to date. I have also met with representatives from the theatre and orchestral unions to discuss potential impacts of the CSR.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1150W, on Afghanistan, what the  (a) name and  (b) job description is of each of the UK-funded advisers who are members of the Provisional Reconstruction Team.

Kim Howells: The UK is funding the provision of advisers working in the fields of governance, police reform and justice/rule of law to the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province. All will work to promote the development of effective and transparent provincial governance in line with the Afghan Government's administrative reform processes. This will include helping to build capacity to plan, co-ordinate and implement the provision of basic public services and to exercise the rule of law. It will focus on helping local governance institutions, including the governor's office, provincial departments of line Ministries, the Provincial Council and Provincial Development Committee, to design and deliver the activities required to fulfil their mandates. The advisers will seek to facilitate the roll-out of current programmes from the national level to Helmand.
	The governance adviser will aim to strengthen provincial public administration and representative and planning institutions. The police adviser will co-ordinate UK activities in southern Afghanistan in support of the Afghan police, building contacts with and the capacity of provincial and district police chiefs. The justice/rule of law adviser will aim to strengthen the criminal justice system, identifying ways to address linkages between informal and formal justice sector institutions, and to strengthen dispute-resolution mechanisms.

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) UN and  (b) EU officials are based in the Provisional Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province; and what the purpose is of each.

Kim Howells: There are no UN or EU officials currently based in the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 5 July 2006, O fficial Report, column 1150W.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote the equal application of law to women and men in Afghanistan; and what assessment she has made of women's access to legal representation in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The Afghan constitution states that "the citizens of Afghanistan have equal rights and duties before the law". The "Justice for All" Action Plan provides the basis for the reform of the Afghan justice sector over the next 12 years. The Plan is divided into five areas of activity: law reform, institution building, and access to justice programs, traditional justice and co-ordination. The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development funded) has provided US $500,000 in support of this Action Plan. In addition, the FCO, through the Global Opportunities Fund is sponsoring a number of projects specifically designed to increase women's access to justice, improve their living standards, promote women's equal participation in governance, create a professional network of women's rights organisations and promote access to information through the radio.
	The UK fully supports the equal application of law in Afghanistan to women and men.

BBC World Service

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the UK Government have made to the Chinese Government regarding transmission to China of the BBC World Service websites and broadcasts.

Kim Howells: The Government are concerned about restrictions on media freedom in China. We regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese Government about China's jamming of BBC World Service broadcasts in Chinese and blocking of the BBC World Service website; most recently our Ambassador in Beijing raised this with the State Council Information Office on 11 July. The then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley, South (Ian Pearson), raised this issue with the Chinese Government on 7 April. The Government are in regular contact with the BBC over this issue and have expressed their wish to see this issue resolved prior to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

British Prisoners

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens imprisoned abroad are  (a) awaiting trial and  (b) serving a custodial sentence.

Kim Howells: On 31 March 2006, British Consular officials were aware of 2,255 British Nationals detained in overseas prisons. This includes those awaiting trial as well as those serving custodial sentences. We do not maintain separate records of the numbers of British nationals awaiting trial or serving custodial sentences. As information on British nationals in prison overseas is held on case files, it would incur disproportionate cost to provide this information.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) Tanzania,  (b) Ghana and  (c) Republic of Congo in their capacity as members of the Security Council regarding United Nations resolutions on Burma.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 172W.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the government of  (a) France,  (b) Austria,  (c) Germany,  (d) Italy and  (e) Spain regarding investments in Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have made no such representations to the governments of these countries. The EU Common Position on Burma prohibits investment by EU member states in listed state-owned companies with links to the Burmese military. All EU member states are bound by the Common Position.
	The latest EU Common Position, agreed on 27 April 2006, can be found on the EU website at:
	http://europa.eu.int/eurlex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_116/1_11620060429en00770097.pdf
	I shall arrange for a copy of the EU Common Position to be placed in the Library of the House and for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member.

Burma

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the government of Burma on  (a) the Karen people in Eastern Burma and  (b) other issues relating to Burma; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 17 July 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Government of Burma.
	On 15 June, I summoned the Burmese Ambassador to raise our concerns about the human rights abuses suffered by ethnic groups, including the Karen; forced labour; restrictions on religious freedom; the use of sexual violence and the exploitation of children. I also repeated our call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and that of all other political prisoners held in Burma.
	On 5 July, I wrote to the Burmese Foreign Minister, reiterating the points I made to the Burmese Ambassador. I shall arrange for a copy of my letter to be placed in the Library of the House and for a copy of the letter to be sent to the hon. Member.
	We shall continue to take every opportunity to express the Government's concern to the regime and its representatives.

Darfur

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress with the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 27 June 2006
	The Darfur Peace Agreement was signed on 5 May. Implementation has been slow. There has been less fighting between the two parties to the agreement: the Sudanese government and the main rebel faction. But overall levels of violence in Darfur remain high. We are providing practical support to the African Union and the parties to help them with implementation. And we are encouraging those who have not yet signed the agreement to support it.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the allegation that Chinese-supplied weapons have been discovered in Darfur; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 27 June 2006
	We are aware of reports that Chinese weapons have been found in Darfur. The UN has an arms embargo on the Darfur region, which prohibits the movement of arms into Darfur unless specifically authorised by the UN beforehand. We are also actively encouraging China to support work towards an arms trade treaty which would end the irresponsible trade in conventional arms.
	I have raised with the Chinese ambassador the huge challenges that Africa must meet in terms of peace and stability, sustainable development and good governance and encouraged China to play a positive role as a responsible and leading member of the international community.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has held with the governments of  (a) Rwanda,  (b) Uganda,  (c) Congo Brazzaville and  (d) Angola on (i) the security situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo and (ii) the presence of non-Congolese irregular forces; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, especially in the east and north-east. Officials from our missions in the Great Lakes region regularly discuss the security situation in the DRC and its border areas with the governments to which they are accredited.
	We continue to remind regional governments of the need to respect Congolese territorial sovereignty and to work together to resolve the issue of the foreign armed groups in the region. We underline that there must be no external support for Congolese armed groups that try to disrupt the peace process and that the DRC must take action to deal with the armed groups on its soil. UN Security Council Resolution 1653 reinforced this message. We support the US-facilitated Tripartite Plus Commission which brings Ugandan, Rwandan, Burundian and Congolese Foreign Ministers together to find solutions to issues affecting the region.

Energy Charter Treaty

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has to make representations to her Russian counterpart on the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty;
	(2)  what plans she has to make representations to her Russian counterpart on the Transit Protocol of the Energy Charter Treaty;
	(3)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the likelihood of the Russian Federation signing the Transit Protocol of the Energy Charter Treaty of the law passed by the Russian State Duma on Gazprom's control of gas exports from Russia;
	(4)  what assessment her Department has made of the Russia Federation's progress towards compliance with the Energy Charter Treaty;
	(5)  what recent representations the British Government have made to the Russian Federation on its compliance with the Energy Charter Treaty;
	(6)  what recent representations the British Government have made to the Russian Federation on the Transit Protocol of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK, with other G7 members, has encouraged Russia to move forward during its G8 presidency and ratify the Energy Charter Treaty, of which it is already a signatory and applies on a provisional basis.
	We would envisage that these Global Energy Security discussions will continue during the Russian presidency.
	The UK is concerned that the proposed Russian Gas Export law would appear to contradict several of the major provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty, including the provisions on Transit. Through the EU, we continue to work with Russia towards an agreed text for the Transit Protocol while at the same time emphasising to Russia the importance of open, transparent, efficient and competitive markets at all stages of the energy supply chain as the key to global energy security.

Engaging with the Islamic World Group

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who is reponsible for the policy of the unit Engaging with the Islamic World in relation to radical Islam.

Kim Howells: The Engaging with the Islamic World Group in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office reports to me, as the Minister responsible for our relations with the Muslim world.

Eritrea

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the human rights situation in Eritrea.

Kim Howells: The UK remains deeply concerned about Eritrea's human rights record. The detention without charge by the Eritrean government of members of minority religious groups, journalists, leading political figures and members of civil society is unacceptable and contravenes international human rights agreements to which Eritrea is a party. We raise our concerns with the Eritrean government at every suitable opportunity. Our new Ambassador in Asmara has done so during his introductory meetings with the Eritrean authorities since his arrival in April 2006. We also work with our EU partners in reminding Eritrea of its human rights obligations including through the ongoing EU/Eritrea Political Dialogue.

Extradition Treaty

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey), of 28 June 2006,  Official Report, column 435W, on the Extradition Treaty, if she will place a copy of the reply in the Library.

Kim Howells: The US Secretary of State has not replied formally to my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary's letter of 20 April.

Gaza

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action she has taken in response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza following the recent Israeli military action.

Kim Howells: We have serious concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Restoring electricity and water supplies and access for humanitarian organisations are a vital priority. On 25 June and 6 July, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about the current situation with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni and Palestinian President Abbas. On 10 July, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the destruction of infrastructure with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert's Foreign Policy Advisor. We have also raised this with the Israel Defence Force.
	The Israeli Cabinet agreed on 2 July to take steps to ease the humanitarian situation, including by opening the Karni commercial crossing point between Gaza and Israel for 150 trucks a day carrying food, fuel and medical supplies, and providing power through Israeli grids. We urge Israel to take further such action and allow the full provision of basic services to the Palestinian people.

Haiti

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the human rights situation in Haiti.

Geoff Hoon: We have a number of concerns about the human rights situation in Haiti, many of which are linked to the political instability and violence that the country has experienced in recent years. Several of the allegations of abuse relate to actions by the police and the judicial system. These include excessive use of force, involvement in kidnappings, detainment without trial, existence of political prisoners and violence against women. Supporting the reform of the police, prisons and judicial system is therefore a major priority for the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti. The determination expressed by the recently elected President Préval to tackle human rights problems in Haiti has been encouraging.

Mexico

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what observation of the recent elections in Mexico was undertaken by her Department  (a) directly and  (b) through the EU; what the cost was of (i) the observation and (ii) the UK contribution to it; where the observers were deployed; and what conclusions were reached.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not been involved in formal election observation of the recent elections in Mexico, although 10 officials from our embassy in Mexico City and one from our consulate in Monterrey registered as Foreign Visitors with the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute. They did not observe any significant irregularities.
	The EU undertook a formal Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to Mexico for the recent elections. They had around 80 observers from 21 members states (including one from the UK). The EU observers were deployed to 31 states and the federal district in Mexico. The EOM issued a preliminary declaration on 3 July and a press statement on 7 July which, among other things, makes clear the electoral institutions in Mexico have behaved with professionalism, transparency and independence. The EOM will remain in Mexico until 20 July and will then produce a final report. The budget allocated to this EOM to Mexico under the European Initiative for Democratisation and Human Rights (EIDHR) budget is €2,474,034. The UK contribution to the EIDHR budget is approximately 17 per cent.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK plans to participate in the United Nations fact-finding mission headed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories which was agreed at the UN Human Rights Council on 6th July.

Kim Howells: The UN Secretariat will assist the fact-finding mission being carried forward by John Dugard, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories. As the mission will not be an intergovernmental process, the UK will not be participating.

North Korea

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the recent missile testing by North Korea.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 14 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 2138-39W.

Sierra Leone

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the human rights situation in Sierra Leone.

Kim Howells: In the fragile peace following its brutal civil war, the human rights situation in Sierra Leone is slowly improving. However, many of the root causes of conflict, including abject poverty, corruption and a lack of access to justice remain. These continue to have an impact on the spectrum of human rights.
	The government continue to rebuild its institutions and UK programmes to retrain and restructure the armed forces and police have made a big impact on security, to the extent that UN peacekeepers left at the end of 2005. But Sierra Leoneans are still denied many basic rights, notably in the justice sector, which is inefficient and corruptible. We support a Justice Sector Development Programme aiming to tackle this and an Anti-Corruption Commission to tackle wider malfeasance. There is a free press, but the government can still react harshly to criticism.
	We worked hard, with other partners, to achieve the transfer of Charles Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is a major success for defending human rights and ending impunity in the region. We want to ensure that the trial continues to have wide coverage in Sierra Leone so that the people feel that they retain ownership of the process.
	The democratic principles of the government will be put to the test by the run-up to 2007 elections, which the UK will both help prepare for, through a UN basket fund, and assist in monitoring.

Somalia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the number of Somali people living in exile in  (a) Ethiopia and  (b) Kenya.

Kim Howells: Estimates are difficult because both Kenya and Ethiopia have large indigenous Somali speaking populations and many unregistered Somali exiles in addition to registered refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates for Somali refugees in Kenya in 2005 were around 160,000, plus 30,000 to 50,000 unregistered, and in Ethiopia around 12,000, plus 15,000 to 40,000 unregistered.

Somalia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have been held with the Somali Transitional Government on recognition and diplomatic support; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 17 July 2006
	My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met President Yusuf at the African Union Summit in Banjul on 1-2 July. With the rest of the international community we are engaging with the Transitional Federal institutions as the best process for restoring stability and good governance in Somalia.
	The latest fighting in Mogadishu and more widely undermines efforts to restore peace and stability. We call on all parties immediately to end fighting and observe fully the ceasefire agreed between representatives of the Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts in Khartoum on 22 June. We urge the Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts' Union to engage constructively in the next round of talks in Khartoum on 15 July.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by her Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005.

Geoff Hoon: There have been none.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the need for  (a) a special envoy and  (b) a panel of experts on Northern Uganda.

Kim Howells: On 26 April the UN Secretariat briefed the UN Security Council on the threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Along with Security Council and EU partners we welcomed the initial recommendations made. These included encouraging the Government of Uganda to accept the appointment of a Special Envoy with a regional focus and establishing a panel of experts to look at the sources of LRA funding. The UN Secretariat is now preparing a written report.
	We think these proposals could support wider efforts to end the long-running conflict in northern Uganda and we look forward to receiving the written report shortly.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she plans to issue a response to the publication of the UN Secretary General's report to the UN Security Council on the conflict in Northern Uganda.

Kim Howells: The UN Secretary General's report pursuant to resolutions 1653 (2006) and 1663 (2006) on how the UN agencies and missions could more effectively address the problem of the Lord's Resistance Army is expected to be issued shortly.
	We will then consider the recommendations and discuss with other members of the UN how best to take them forward.

Xu Shuang fu/Li Maoxing/Wang Jun

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Chinese government on the cases of  (a) Xu Shuang fu,  (b) Li Maoxing and  (c) Wang Jun.

Kim Howells: Xu Shuangfu, Li Maoxing and Wang Jun are members of an unconventional underground Christian group, the Three Grades of Servants, who have been accused of murdering 20 leaders from a rival religious group. The information we have from non-governmental organisations gives a cautious assessment of the group's activities and status. We continue to monitor developments closely, but are unable to make representations to the Chinese Government on these cases until we receive evidence that their convictions are based on false grounds.
	The Government have lobbied the Chinese Government in general terms to limit, and ultimately abolish, their use of the death penalty, and improve its provision of proper legal defence in criminal trials.

Zimbabwe

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the United Nations Secretary General's withdrawal as a peace-broker within Zimbabwe.

Kim Howells: We welcomed the UN secretary-general's willingness to visit Zimbabwe to address the gathering crisis there. We regret Mugabe's apparent rejection of this offer. Zimbabweans are suffering, and urgently need their government to undertake significant economic and political reform. We will continue work with our international partners, including at the UN, to ensure effective international pressure on the Mugabe regime.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the frequency, scale and sophistication of Taliban attacks on British forces in Helmand Province.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the  (a) strength and  (b) fighting capability of (i) the Taliban and (ii) other illegal armed groups in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: We continuously monitor and assess all known threats to our forces. The frequency and scale of attacks against our forces has increased as we have deployed the Helmand Taskforces to the south of Afghanistan. These attacks vary in sophistication. However, disclosure of details would, or would be likely to, prejudice the security of the armed forces. Neither the Taliban, nor the range of illegally armed groups, currently pose a threat to the long-term stability of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the average extra flying hours for  (a) attack and  (b) support helicopters in Afghanistan since flying hours were extended; and by what methods these increased flying hours were achieved.

Des Browne: Flying hours are allocated on a monthly basis and were first extended in June. The increased hours are achieved by servicing the aircraft more frequently.
	Hours have been increased by up to 39 per cent. depending on aircraft type. It would not be appropriate to go into the detail of how many hours this constitutes as to do so would give unnecessary advantage to enemy forces and put the lives of our personnel at risk.
	As I announced on 10 July, a further uplift in both fixed wing and helicopter support is planned. There are a number of other helicopter assets operating in Southern Afghanistan, including Helmand province that the UK can draw on for support.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) ISAF and  (b) British forces have (i) provided intelligence for specific anti-narcotics operations in Afghanistan, (ii) air-lifted and provided secure transport for Afghan forces taking part in anti-narcotics operations and (iii) provided protective cordons for Afghan forces taking part in anti-narcotics operations.

Des Browne: A key element of both the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) mission is to support the Government of Afghanistan and its security forces. British forces, along with ISAF forces operating in other parts of Afghanistan, have and will continue to support the Afghan forces in a number of ways. As well as the ongoing mentoring process, this includes the sharing of intelligence, provision of transport and protective cordons where appropriate.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place for evaluation of the armed forces compensation scheme; and what evaluation is made of this scheme in relation to patients suffering from mental health issues.

Tom Watson: The armed forces compensation scheme was introduced on 6 April 2005 to provide compensation for personnel injured, made sick or killed through service on or after that date. An evaluation of the first year of operation is currently being carried out involving interested parties, including ex-service organisations and the three services. The evaluation will be in the light of experience and evidence of cases arising so far, including those who have suffered from mental health issues and will include discussions with charities which operate in this arena.

Armed Forces Doctors and Dentists

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to implement the pay award for armed forces doctors and dentists recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

Des Browne: The Government are currently considering the recommendations of the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body's 2006 supplementary report on the pay of service medical and dental officers. We hope to make an announcement soon.

Armoured Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tanks were in service in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: The following table provides details of the numbers of Main Battle Tanks in-service with the armed forces during the period 1997-2006:
	
		
			   Equipment 
			   Challenger 1 (CR1 MBT)  Challenger 2 (CR2 MBT) 
			 1997 426 47 
			 1998 426 131 
			 1999 412 237 
			 2000 338 309 
			 2001 248 386 
			 2002 160 386 
			 2003 64 385 
			 2004 11 385 
			 2005 3 385 
			 2006 3 385

BL755 Cluster Munition

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports  (a) he and  (b) his Department has received which indicate that the BL755 failure rate may be higher than 6 per cent. in actual combat use.

Adam Ingram: No reports have been received which suggest that the BL755 cluster bomb failure rate increases when deployed on operations.

Broadcasting

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of  (a) Services Sound and Vision Corporation and  (b) its subsidiary British Forces Broadcasting Service in each of the last six years.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has a number of contracts with the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), which provide services to the armed forces ranging from the broadcasting of British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) Television overseas to operating the British Defence Film Library (BDFL). BFBS is the designation of some of the services operated on behalf of the MOD by SSVC.
	
		
			   Costs (£ million) 
			 2000-01 17.86 
			 2001-02 21.10 
			 2002-03 25.16 
			 2003-04 27.17 
			 2004-05 28.48 
			 2005-06 31.04

Challenger Tank

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 14 allocated days have been used in training for the firing of the 120 mm Challenger tanks at the Warcop range in each year since 2001.

Tom Watson: None of the allocated days have been used for firing of the Challenger tank 120 mm guns since 2001. However, as there are only two other ranges suitable for main battle tank (MBT) use—Lulworth and Castlemartin—and given the critical requirement for MBT crews to fire during pre-deployment training, the Warcop facility remains a strategic reserve asset for use in the event of one of the other ranges being unusable.

Combat Stress/Mental Illness

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel who served in the 1991 Gulf War have been diagnosed with mental illnesses in each year since that conflict; and how many were referred to  (a) Combat Stress and  (b) NHS mental health services.

Tom Watson: Information on mental illnesses reported by veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict while still serving is not held centrally. The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of mental illnesses reported after an individual has left the services. The NHS is responsible for the health care of ex-service personnel but information on referrals of Gulf veterans is not available. For those Gulf veterans still serving, Defence Medical Services are responsible for providing treatment for all medical conditions, including mental health problems but again we do not hold referral information according to the operations on which personnel were deployed.
	Combat Stress have received 853 patient referrals who served in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict, but the same patients may have served in other deployments, so the origin of the mental health problem may not be clear.

Defensive Aids Suites

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 704W, on defensive aids suites, when the infra red counter measure was discontinued as a defensive aid suite; on what basis the decision was made; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Infra red counter measures have not been discontinued.

Forces (Discharges)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people discharged before January 2000 from  (a) the Army,  (b) the Royal Navy and  (c) the RAF because of their sexual orientation are awaiting compensation payments; how many people have received compensation payments in each of the last six years; what the (i) average, (ii) minimum and (iii) highest payments made in these cases has been; how many former servicemen and women have rejected payments offered; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: There are 62 claims against the Ministry of Defence from ex-service personnel who allege that they were dismissed from the armed forces as a result of their sexual orientation that remain to be settled. Of these 27 are ex-Army, 19 ex-RAF and 16 ex-Royal Navy personnel. Initial offers of compensation have been made in 29 of these cases, but rejected; negotiations are ongoing.
	The following table shows that 24 claims were settled over the last six years. The highest settlement figure was £115,405 and the lowest settlement figure was £10,000. The average settlement award of £35,435.
	
		
			  Financial year  Claims settled  Compensation/legal costs paid (£) 
			 2006-07 (to date ) 4 119,000 
			 2005-06 3 52,000 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2003-04 9 192,350 
			 2002-03 5 370,860 
			 2001-02 3 116,250

Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) actual and  (b) required figures are for helicopter crew personnel for each relevant squadron of the (i) Fleet Air Arm and (ii) Royal Air Force.

Adam Ingram: The actual and required figures for helicopter crew personnel (excluding ground crew) for each relevant squadron of the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Fleet Air Arm 
			   Squadron (Sqn)  Actual (held)  Required (establishment) 
			 Sea King Mk 4 845 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) 49 45 
			 Sea King Mk 4 846 NAS 48 45 
			 Sea King Mk 4 848 NAS 29 33 
			 Lynx AH7 847 NAS 15 18 
			 Lynx Mk 3/8 702 NAS 22 24 
			 Lynx Mk 3/8 815 NAS 60 70 
			 Merlin Mk 1 700 NAS 9 11 
			 Merlin Mk 1 814 NAS 32 33 
			 Merlin Mk 1 820 NAS 29 33 
			 Merlin Mk 1 824 NAS 48 72 
			 Merlin Mk 1 829 NAS 19 21 
			 SKASaC Mk 7 849 NAS 15 15 
			 SKASaC Mk 7 849 A Flt 14 15 
			 SKASaC Mk 7 849 B Flt 13 15 
			 Sea King Mk 5 Search & Rescue 771 Sqn 42 42 
			 Sea King Mk 5 Search & Rescue GANNET 20 20 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Air Force 
			   Squadron  Actual (held)  Required (establishment) 
			 Chinook HC2 7 Sqn 43 46 
			 Chinook HC2 18 Sqn 96 95 
			 Chinook HC2 27 Sqn 60 59 
			 Puma HC1 230 Sqn 56 54 
			 Puma HC1 33 Sqn 84 77 
			 Merlin HC3 28 Sqn 88 102 
			 Sea King HAR 3/3A Search & Rescue 22 Sqn 54 58 
			 Sea King HAR 3/3A Search & Rescue 202 Sqn 57 59 
			 Sea King HAR 3A Search & Rescue 203(R) Sqn 20 20 
			 Twin Squirrel 32 Sqn 3 3 
			 Griffin HAR2 84 Sqn 11 11 
			 Squirrel HT1, Griffin HT1 60(R) Sqn—Defence Helicopter Flying School 47 46

Interpreters

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many interpreters are employed by the UK military in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Des Browne: As at 1 July 2006, the UK military employed 476 interpreters in Iraq (of which 116 are administered on behalf of Australian forces) and 156 interpreters in Afghanistan.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the level of violence being carried out by militia groups in Multi-National Division South East; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I receive regular assessments of the level of violence in Multi-National Division South including that carried out by militia groups.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1321W, on Iraq, whether progress has been made on resuming full co-operation between Maysan Provincial Council and multi-national forces.

Des Browne: We continue to make progress towards resumption of formal co-operation with the Maysan Provincial Council with a number of positive developments in recent weeks. Co-operation with the provincial authorities has continued at working level and the Maysan Battlegroup has trained and mentored the Iraqi Security Forces throughout this period.

Merlin Helicopters

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what future roles are planned for the 12 Royal Navy Merlin helicopters not included in the scheduled Lockheed Martin upgrade programme; and what the scheduled out-of-service dates are for these helicopters.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 July 2006
	There are 12 Royal Navy Merlin Mkl helicopters not currently included in the Lockheed Martin upgrade programme (known as the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme). A decision is currently expected to be made in late 2008 as to whether to add 8 of these 12 to the programme. Should a decision be taken not to add these aircraft to the programme they would remain in the RN Merlin fleet and a decision would be taken on their out-of-service date around 2015. Inclusion in the programme would extend their out-of-service date to 2029.
	There are no plans to add the other four RN Merlin Mkl helicopters to the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme. These are currently used as trials aircraft either based at Agusta Westland Ltd. at Yeovil, Somerset or at RNAS Culdrose. A decision on the out-of-service date of these four aircraft is also expected to be taken around 2015.

Military Vehicles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) RG-31 vehicles,  (b) mine-protected vehicles and  (c) Cougar vehicles, and variants thereof, are in service; and where they are based.

Adam Ingram: There are no RG-31 vehicles currently in service with UK forces. There are eight of the current Mine Protected Vehicle in service, which is based on an early version of the Force Protection Inc. Cougar, including a number in Afghanistan.

Military Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the improvised explosive device attack at Haditha, Iraq in 2006, on the amphibious assault vehicle operated by the US Marine Corps has implications for  (a) the design of British armoured personnel carriers and  (b) other British Army force protection measures.

Adam Ingram: We have established links with coalition partners in Iraq to exchange details of terrorist incidents, successful or otherwise, in order to identify lessons for tactics, platform design and capability development. We do not comment publicly on specific incidents or conclusions for reasons of operational security.

Military Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken since September 2004 to enhance the provision of electronic counter measures for military vehicles operating out-of-base in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The threat from Improvised Explosives Devices is constantly evolving and responding to it is one of our highest priorities. Over the past two years we have spent £120 million on protection for ground forces in Iraq, including on electronic counter measures. In addition, the British Army constantly reviews its training, tactics and procedures to minimise the risks to which our troops are exposed. It would not be appropriate to comment on the details as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the effectiveness and security of the armed forces.

Military Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken since September 2004 to enhance ballistic protection to side doors, footwells and forward bulkheads of Snatch vehicles deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 624W.

Non-Combat Deaths

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-combat army deaths there have been in the British armed forces in each year since 1997; how many were firearms-related in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: holding answer 6 July 2006
	Details on annual non-combat army deaths in each year since 1997, including firearms-related deaths, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Deaths in the regular armed forces (Army only): showing non-combat and firearms-related deaths, 1997-2005 
			   Non-combat injury related deaths  of which: Non-combat firearms related deaths 
			 All 590 40 
			 1997 68 3 
			 1998 70 1 
			 1999 62 3 
			 2000 68 7 
			 2001 61 7 
			 2002 73 7 
			 2003 55 5 
			 2004 74 5 
			 2005 59 2

Nuclear Deterrent

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure his Department has  (a) incurred and  (b) approved in respect of the upgrading or replacement of the UK's nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 12 July 2006
	It is not practicable, except at disproportionate cost, to assess historic expenditure on upgrading or replacing the UK's nuclear deterrent since its inception in the 1950s.
	We routinely undertake work to maintain the capability of our existing nuclear deterrent system over its current planned design life. The cost of this work is included within the overall running costs of the Trident system, which have varied between three and 4.5 per cent. of the defence budget since it came into service, up to and including 2005-06.
	In terms of expenditure in support of the possible retention by the UK of a nuclear deterrent capability beyond the planned life of the current system, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1322W. In addition to the expenditure referred to in that answer, we have previously spent a total of around 9 million.

Nuclear Deterrent

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure has been incurred on research into a new generation of nuclear warheads in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: There is no programme to develop a new United Kingdom nuclear warhead. As was stated in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, we retain a minimum capability to design and manufacture a new warhead, should one be required. It is not possible precisely to distinguish between expenditure to support retention of that capability and that required to support the current warhead.

Overseas Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the British armed forces are serving on operations overseas.

Adam Ingram: Location statistics may be compiled based on posted location or deployed location. Posted location is where an individual is permanently based. Deployed location is where an individual is physically located at a particular point in time and is typically used for short tours of duty.
	The numbers of personnel posted to each location abroad are shown in Tri Service Publication 6, Global Location of UK Regular Forces (TSP 6). Copies of TSP 6 are held in the House of Commons Library and are also available at www.dasa.mod.uk.
	Figures for the number of Regular and Reserve Service personnel deployed on operations are shown in the following tables, as is the percentage of deployed personnel against the total UK Regular and Reserve Force.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of UK Regular Forces( 1)   deployed at 1 May 2006 
			   All Services  Naval Service  Army  RAF 
			 Total trained strength (2)176,490 (2)34,760 (2)96,660 (2)45,080 
			 Total deployed(3) 16,330 2,570 11,740 2,030 
			 Percentage deployed (2)9.3 (2)7.4 (2)12.1 (2)4.5 
			 (1) Figures are for trained UK Regular Forces, and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full-Time Reserve Service personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and Naval Activated Reservists.  (2 )Denotes provisional. Naval Service trained and untrained split, and Army Officer figures are provisional pending investigation. Due to the introduction of a new Personnel Administration System for RAF, all RAF data from 1 April 2006 are provisional and subject to review.  (3) Figures for deployment are shown at the 2 May 2006.   Note: Data are rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent disclosure of sensitive information. Percentages are calculated from unrounded figures.  Source:  DASA (Tri-Service). 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of trained UK Reserve Forces  mobilised at 1 May 2006 
			   All Services  Naval Service  Army  RAF 
			  Total Reserve strength(1,2,3,4,5,6) 86,540 12,770 64,220 9,550 
			 Regular Reserve(1,2,3,4,5) 50,570 10,400 32,060 8,100 
			 Volunteer Reserve(1,3,4,6) 35,970 2,360 32,150 1,450 
			  
			  Total mobilised Reserves(7) 
			 Number(7) 1,480 30 1,340 110 
			 Percentage(7,9) 1.7% 0.2% 2.1% 1.1% 
			  Mobilised Regular Reserve(7) 
			 Number(7) 260 (9) 260 (9) 
			 Percentage(7) 0.5% (9) 0.8% (9) 
			  Mobilised Volunteer Reserve(7) 
			 Number(7) 1,220 30 1,090 110 
			 Percentage(7) 3.4% 1.2% 3.4% 7.4% 
			 (1) Reserve strength figures are at 1 April 2006.  (2) Figures exclude full-time Reserve Service personnel.  (3 )Naval Service excludes University RN units. Army excludes non-regular permanent staff, Officer Training Corps and full-time Reserve Service. RAF excludes University Air Squadrons.  (4 )It is not possible to identify whether Volunteer Reserves are trained, hence figures show total Volunteer Reserve.  (5 )It is not possible to identify from central sources which reserves are mobilised overseas. Consequently figures show all mobilised reservists, irrespective of location, including those on pre-deployment training and post-operational leave.  (6 )Percentage of total Reserve strength. (7 )Percentage of Regular Reserve strength.  
			 (8 )Percentage of Volunteer Reserve strength.  (9 )Denotes zero or a percentage rounded to zero.  Note: Data are rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent disclosure of sensitive information. Percentages are calculated from unrounded figures.   Source:  DASA (Tri-Service).

Premature Voluntary Releases

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many premature voluntary release exits there were from the  (a) Army,  (b) Navy,  (c) Royal Marines and  (d) Royal Air Force in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: Voluntary Outflow figures are published in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 5UK Regular Forces Outflow from Trained Strength to Civil Life.
	TSP 5 is published monthly; the most recent publication shows the numbers of service personnel at 1 May 2006.
	Copies of TSP 5 are held in the House of Commons Library and are also available at www.dasa.mod.uk.
	TSP 5 includes data for the naval service as a whole. The breakdown between Royal Navy and the Royal Marines is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Naval service voluntary outflow from trained strength to civil life 
			  Number 
			  Financial year  Royal Navy  Royal Marines 
			 1996-97 1,690 320 
			 1997-98 1,650 280 
			 1998-99 1,450 420 
			 1999-2000 1,610 300 
			 2000-01 1,240 250 
			 2001-02(1) 1,780 420 
			 2002-03 1,400 350 
			 2003-04 1,510 340 
			 2004-05 1,640 380 
			 2005-06 1,460 430 
			 (1) For all naval service VO applications received on or after 1 June 2000, the maximum time period between date of application and exit was reduced from 18 months to 12. This effectively compressed 18 months of exits into the financial year 2001-02.   Notes:  1. The term premature voluntary release (PVR) has been changed to voluntary outflow (VO) although the methodology remains the same.  2. VO is defined as all applications and exits from trained personnel which are generated by the individual before their time expiry.  3. Figures show all trained voluntary outflow from the naval service including recalled reservists.  4. Figures have been rounded to nearest 10. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.   Source:  DASA (Tri-Service)

Royal Air Force

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving  (a) engineers and  (b) medical personnel there are in the Royal Air Force; and what the requirement is for each category.

Tom Watson: The most recent available figures are:
	
		
			   Requirement  Trained strength 
			 Engineer 20,630 21,360 
			 Medical 1,765 1,520 
			  Notes:  1. As at 6 March 2006.  2. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.  3. Figures include officers and non-commissioned personnel.  4. Medical figures exclude dentists and dental trades.

Strathmore Estates

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments have been made to the Strathmore Estates for training use of their land within the Warcop byelawed area in each year since 2001.

Tom Watson: Payments are made by this Department to the Strathmore Estate according to the licence agreement, and reviewed every three years. I am unable to provide the amounts as this would prejudice our position commercially with other landowners in the area with whom we have similar agreements.

UK Bases

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules govern the use of UK bases at  (a) Diego Garcia and  (b) RAF Fairford by the United States to launch military action against a sovereign state.

Des Browne: The presence of the United States Air Force at RAF Fairford is, as with all bases made available to United States visiting forces in the United Kingdom, governed by the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951 and additional confidential arrangements.
	Her Majesty's Government have to be fully consulted and agree before any UK-based US forces are deployed operationally. The Joint Churchill-Truman Communiqu of January 1952 stated:
	Under arrangements made for the common defence, the United States has the use of certain bases in the United Kingdom. We reaffirm the understanding that the use of these bases in an emergency would be a matter for joint decision by H. M. Government and the U.S. Government in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time.
	The use of the US military facility at Diego Garcia is governed by an Exchange of Notes between the US and UK which requires the US to seek prior approval for any operations that they wish to undertake from Diego Garcia.

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government regarding housing for veterans; and what plans he has to improve access to housing for  (a) single veterans and  (b) veterans with families.

Tom Watson: There have been no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government about housing for veterans. However, frequent contact is maintained between officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding veterans housing matters. Our main focus is on improving access to housing for Service personnel while they are still serving or are at the point of leaving the Service. This applies to both single Service personnel and those with families, and is intended to facilitate a smooth transition to civilian life. Measures already in place to assist all personnel leaving the Services include the provision of comprehensive information and advice on housing options and the MOD Nominations Scheme, which facilitates access for Service leavers to housing with 43 registered social landlords and councils across the UK. In recognition of their specific needs, the Single Persons Accommodation Centre for the Ex-Services provides an advice and placement service for single Service leavers.
	Through the Veterans Agency helpline and website, liaison with the ex-Service charities and other agencies, and various communications initiatives, we aim to increase awareness among veterans of the support available and improve access to help on housing and other matters. We also support a number of initiatives to prevent and tackle homelessness among existing veterans.

TREASURY

Bank Accounts

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of adults in  (a) Beverley and Holderness and  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire who do not have access to a bank account are over the age of 65; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The most recent data available that allow assessment to be made of the number of households with no access to a bank account are to be found in the Family Resources Survey from 2002-03. This indicates that 8 per cent. of households in the United Kingdom had no bank account of any kind. This equated to 1.9 million households containing around 2.8 million adults. The data are broken down to Government office regional level. This shows 9 per cent. of households in Yorkshire and the Humber were unbanked. The data can also be broken down by the age of the household reference person (the owner of the household or the one with the highest income). This shows that 27 per cent. of unbanked households had a household reference person over the age of 65.
	In December 2004, the Government and the banks agreed to work together towards the goal of halving the number of adults in households with no access to a bank account of any kind and of making significant progress within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress. The taskforce recently made its first annual report, which concluded that steady progress has been made towards the goal but also encouraged banks to continue to address the difficulties faced in opening a bank account.

Bank Accounts

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of people living in Scotland had a bank account in each of the last five years; what steps he is taking to increase the number of people with bank accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The most recent data available that allows assessment to be made of the number of households with no access to a bank account are to be found in the Family Resources Survey from 2002-03. This indicates that 8 per cent. of households in the United Kingdom had no bank account of any kind. This equated to 1.9 million households containing around 2.8 million adults. The data are broken down to Government office regional level. This shows 8 per cent. of households in Scotland were unbanked. The figures for previous years are: 2001-029 per cent.; 2000-0114 per cent.; 1999-200013 per cent.; 1998-9914 per cent.
	In December 2004, the Government and the banks agreed to work together towards the goal of halving the number of adults in households with no access to a bank account of any kind and of making significant progress within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress. The taskforce recently made its first annual report, which concluded that steady progress has been made towards the goal but also encouraged banks to continue to address the difficulties faced in opening a bank account.

Benefit Fraud

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the conclusions were of the Taskforce on Benefit Fraud announced in the 1999 Pre-Budget Report; what the recommended plan of action consisted of; and what progress has been made with its implementation.

James Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply
	In 1999, Lord Grabiner QC, was asked to chair a task force bringing together the Treasury, the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise, the Department of Social Security and the Employment Service to conduct an investigation into the informal or hidden economy. His report, The Informal EconomyA Report by Lord Grabiner QC, was published in March 2000 and is available in the Library. DWP has successfully acted on all the key recommendations applicable to this Department.

Business Secondment (Schools)

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of businesses have been seconded to schools in each year since 1997; and how much tax relief employers claimed in respect of such secondments in each year.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	No information is available on employees of businesses who have been seconded to schools and on the tax relief claimed by employers in respect of employees seconded to schools.
	We welcome links between schools and businesses and the Government make available 25 million a year through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to promote closer links between schools and business.

Child Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether copies of birth certificates are valid for parents registering for child tax credit and child benefit.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 July 2006
	Child benefit office and tax credit office will accept copies of birth certificates only if the original has been seen and the copy certified as a true copy by two officers of HM Revenue and Customs, or the Department of Work and Pension or the Department for Social Development.

Disabled People

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the overall approach to reinvestment of future savings in the benefits budgets and growth in revenue resulting from increased participation of disabled people in the workforce; what agreements have been reached in principle; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: We expect the Pathways to Work programme to generate significant long-term benefit savings.
	As the savings and effectiveness of the Pathways to Work programme are demonstrated, we will consider additional funding for the Department for Work and Pensions for further welfare reform measures. Any such funding will be allocated in the light of potential value for money, including future Exchequer benefits.

ECOFIN

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1283W, on the ECOFIN meeting, on what date his diary secretary was informed that he would be attending the ECOFIN meeting on 7 June.

John Healey: Dates for ECOFIN meetings are confirmed seven months in advance of each presidency.

Education and Training Expenditure

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cash figures were used to calculate spending on education and training as a percentage of GDP in Table 3.4 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2005 for  (a) schools,  (b) tertiary education and  (c) other training programmes for England.

Stephen Timms: Table 3.6 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2005 presents UK Total Expenditure on Services (TES) by sub-function for 1999-2000 to 2004-05, consistent with Table 3.4. The sub-functions presented include schools, tertiary education and training spending. For earlier years we do not hold a consistent series with Table 3.4 at the detailed sub-function level and so the information is not available. The methodology used to produce the high-level functional series back years in Table 3.4 is available on the HMT website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/777/D4/historical_funtion_series_method_note.pdf
	Total Expenditure on Services by country and region is available in chapter 8 of PESA 2005 (chapter 7 of PESA 2006). These regional spending statistics use the concept of 'identifiable' spending where Government spending is allocated to the region or country that benefits from the spending. Some spending cannot be allocated to a region or country as it is for the benefit of the UK as a whole (e.g. defence spending). Tables 8.5 to 8.10 present England spending on Education and Training for 1999-2000 to 2004-05 on this identifiable, who benefits, basis. We do not currently produce these regional analyses at a sub-function level, although it is something we are considering for the future. Paragraph 3.59 of the response to the PESA reader consultation published this year sets this out:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/finance_spending_statistics/pes_publications/pespub_consult.cfm
	The GDP figures used to produce Table 3.4 are as stated in footnote 1 to the table.

Inheritance Tax

Stephen Byers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the effect on income from inheritance tax would be if the threshold for payment was raised to  (a) 500,000,  (b) 1 million and  (c) 2.5 million.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 July 2006
	Raising the inheritance tax threshold with effect from 2007-08 would have the following effect on forecast revenue:
	
		
			   billion 
			   Reduction in receipts from raising threshold to 
			   (a) 500,000  (b) 1 million  (c) 2.5 million 
			 2007-08 0.7 1.2 1.6 
			 2008-09 1.6 2.7 3.4 
			 2009-10 1.7 3.1 3.8 
			 2010-11 1.8 3.3 4.1

Local Government

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions are planned between officials of the Office for National Statistics and those of the Department for Communities and Local Government on the local government financial settlement for 2007-08, in relation to population changes caused by immigration from EU accession countries; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 July 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what discussions are planned between officials of the Office for National Statistics and those of the Department for Communities and Local Government on the local government financial settlement for 2007-08, in relation to population changes caused by immigration from EU accession countries. (85007)
	The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and ONS are in regular contact at a working level to discuss a range of statistical issues around population. None of these discussions will be about the local government financial settlement which is the responsibility of DCLG and not a matter for ONS. In addition the ONS' National Statistics Centre for Demography hosts the Central and Local Government Information Partnership (CLiP) Population Subgroup. This is the forum ONS uses to discuss statistical issues pertaining to the estimation of population with central and local government. DCLG are represented on this group.
	ONS produces the mid year population estimates on a consistent basis, for all local authorities in England and Wales. These are the best available estimates at the time of their publication. They are based on the UN definition of a long term migrant i.e someone who changes their country of usual residence for a period of at least a year. The 2005 Mid Year Estimates, due to be published on 24 August 2006, will include an estimate of the number of long term immigrants from the EU accession countries.

Network Banking Scheme

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which banks have signed up to be part of the network banking scheme with the Post Office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	Network banking constitutes commercial arrangements between Post Office Ltd and high street banks allowing their current account customers to access their accounts at post office branches. Currently customers of Alliance and Leicester, Bank of Ireland, Barclays (England and Wales only), Clydesdale Bank, The Co-operative Bank, Lloyds TSB (England, Scotland and Wales only) and Nationwide Building Society can access their current accounts at post offices. Current accounts of the Internet banks Cahoot, First Direct (Scotland only) and Smile are also accessible at post offices.
	In addition to the commercial network banking arrangements, universal banking services at post offices were introduced on 1 April 2003 to enable those who wish to do so to continue to access cash and benefits at post office counters following the migration from order books to direct payment. Under these arrangements, The Abbey, Alliance and Leicester, Bank of Ireland, Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Clydesdale Bank, The Co-operative Bank, First Trust Bank, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds-TSB, Nationwide Building Society, Natwest, Northern Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ulster Bank and Yorkshire Bank each have a basic bank account product accessible at post offices.

Registration On-line Computer System

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to date has been of the purchase and installation of the Registration on-line computer system at registry offices.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 July 2006:
	As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the cost to date of the purchase and installation of the Registration ON-line computer system at registration offices. (86034)
	Central government expenditure on the purchase and installation of the Registration ON-line computer system for the period to the end of June 2006 is 5,108,000.

Registration On-line Computer System

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to extend the implementation of the Registration on-line computer system at registry offices across England and Wales.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 July 2006:
	As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary question asking what plans the Government have to extend the implementation of the Registration ON-line computer system at registry offices across England and Wales. (86035)
	The Registration ON line (RON) system currently used by registrars in England and Wales to record civil partnership registrations will be extended later this year to include birth and death registrations. RON will first be piloted in four registration districts in November, and then extended to a further nine areas in December. Subject to both pilot phases proceeding successfully, RON for births and deaths will be rolled out across England and Wales in February 2007. The roll-out of the marriages module will follow as soon as possible thereafter.

Sunglasses

Lorely Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Treasury would be of reducing the rate of VAT to  (a) 5 per cent. and  (b) 0 per cent. on (i) children's sunglasses and (ii) all sunglasses.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not have sufficient data to estimate the cost of a reduced or zero rate of VAT for these products.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many disputed tax credit overpayment requests have been received in each quarter since April 2004; how many requests have been upheld; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many overpayments of tax credits have been written off due to acceptance by his Department of official error since April 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many tax credit claimants have  (a) returned form TC 846 and  (b) otherwise been recorded as requesting the write-off of their overpayments on grounds of official error for each month since April 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what his latest estimate is of the proportion of tax credit overpayments due to official error in each year since 2003-04; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many people have appealed against tax credits overpayments recovery in each month since April 2003; how many appeals have been successful; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what proportion of tax credits overpayments have been written off for  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: For the number of disputed tax credit overpayments the Tax Credit Office (TCO) received, and the number written off between May 2004 (when the Department began recording disputes received) and January 2006, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 1 March 2006,  Official Report, column 727W and the answers I gave him on 19 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 1496-97W and 6 July 2005,  Official Report, column 437W.
	The TCO received around 39,000 disputed overpayments in February 2006, around 33,000 in March 2006 and around 26,500 in April 2006.
	The number of overpayments where the overpayment was successfully disputed, that is, where the overpayment was written off in full or in part by the TCO because of official error, was around 2,000 in February 2006, around 1,500 in March 2006 and around 100 in April 2006.
	The figures for overpayments written off do not directly relate to those disputes that were received in the same month.
	The figures for May 2006 are not yet available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many compensation payments have been made by the tax credits section of his Department in each reporting period since April 2003; what the value of each payment was; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many compensation payments for maladministration and poor service have been made by the tax credits section of his Department for each month from April 2003 to May 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The circumstances in which the former Inland Revenue and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's code of practice 1, Putting Things Right', which is available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop1.pdf
	The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of their mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays. A breakdown of the reasons why payments are made is not available.
	For 2003-04, 2004-05 and the period April to September 2005 inclusive, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 7 February 2005,  Official Report, columns 1244-45W and 15 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1212W. A monthly breakdown for the period April to December 2003 is not available.
	The number of payments made in each month from October 2005 and May 2006 (inclusive) were:
	
		
			   Number 
			  2005  
			 October 1,099 
			 November 1,087 
			 December 1,218 
			  2006  
			 January 1,240 
			 February 1,012 
			 March 884 
			 April 366 
			 May 661 
		
	
	Information about the value of each payment is available only at disproportionate cost.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost of the 2,500 tax credits income disregard in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimating the cost of the disregard would require estimates of behavioural effects associated with the disregard and estimates of the cost of the recovery of the additional overpayments that would have been incurred in the absence of the disregard. Neither of these are available.
	However, as stated in the NAO Standard Report of the HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts Trust Statement we estimate that the final aggregate entitlement to child and working tax credits for 2004-05 would have been about 700 million lower without the 2,500 income increase disregard.
	No reliable equivalent estimate for 2005-06 is yet available, as most 2005-06 tax credit awards have not yet been finalised.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff there were in the Tax Credits Directors Complaints Team in each quarter since April 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: Separate information on the number of staff that worked on the Tax Credits Director's Complaint's Team is not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit awards were terminated as a consequence of couples separating in each quarter since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: By 3 April 2006, 435,000 tax credit awards had ceased as a result of couples reporting a separation. The analysis by each quarter is as follows:
	
		
			  Quarter in which separation occurred  Number of awards ceased as at 3 April 2006 (Thousand) 
			 6 April 2003 to 5 July 2003 28 
			 6 July 2003 to 5 October 2003 36 
			 6 October 2003 to 5 January 2004 32 
			 6 January 2004 to 5 April 2004 30 
			 6 April 2004 to 5 July 2004 30 
			 6 July 2004 to 5 October 2004 40 
			 6 October 2004 to 5 January 2005 42 
			 6 January 2005 to 5 April 2005 47 
			 6 April 2005 to 5 July 2005 36 
			 6 July 2005 to 5 October 2005 42 
			 6 October 2005 to 5 January 2006 38 
			 6 January 2006 to 3 April 2006 34 
			 Total 435

Tax Credits

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs have intervened where they suspect a claim by an individual from another EU country claiming tax credits in the UK may be  (a) wrong and  (b) fraudulent.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of  (a) tax credit overpayments to migrant workers who have returned to their home country and  (b) the proportion of these monies which will be recovered; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of tax credit fraud on the basis of non residency have been uncovered in each of the last five years; what the cost has been in each year of this fraud; what estimate his Department has made of the extent of undiscovered fraud of this kind; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the format requested.

Tax Credits

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether child tax credit call centres are obliged to inform claimants that they need to complete an application form in order to have their change of circumstances logged; whether staff at child tax credit call centres automatically send the relevant application form to claimants who call in order to have their circumstances changed; if he will take steps to enable child tax credit claimants who did not receive the tax credit due to not being informed by the call centres that they needed to complete an application form to claim their full tax credit; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take steps to enable child tax credit claimants who did not receive the benefit due to not being informed by the call centres that they needed to complete an application form to claim their full benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credits claimants are encouraged to notify changes in their circumstances by providing details over the phone to the tax credits Helpline although changes may also be notified in writing to the Tax Credit Office. No prescribed form is required.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit awards were made to  (a) people subject to immigration control,  (b) asylum seekers,  (c) foreign students,  (d) illegal immigrants and  (e) foreigners on expired visas in each quarter from April 2003 to June 2006; what the cost of these awards was in each case; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the easement of tax credit verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met between March 2003 and December 2004; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many tax credit applications failed verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met but were allowed to proceed to being processed in each month from April 2003 to January 2005; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  in how many tax credit cases failures of verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met were  (a) investigated and  (b) not investigated in each month since December 2004;
	(5)  which categories of tax credit claimant fail verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  how many applications for tax credits failed verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met between April 2002 and April 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  how many tax credit claims failed verification rules in each  (a) month and  (b) quarter since April 2002; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  which  (a) Minister and  (b) official (i) recommended and (ii) approved the easement of tax credit verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met in 2003; for what reasons it was introduced; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  if he will place in the Library copies of each HM Customs and Revenue newsboard item relating to tax credits; and on what date each was posted;
	(10)  how many tax credit verification rules have been  (a) suspended and  (b) eased since August 2002; and for what (i) reasons and (ii) period in each case;
	(11)  whether the easement of tax credit verification rule 12 (residency criteria not met) meant that the provisions in the Tax Credit (Immigration) Regulations 2003 were not implemented; and if he will make a statement;
	(12)  what factors were taken into account when deciding not to investigate cases where tax credit verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met was failed;
	(13)  whether an assessment of the  (a) cost and  (b) staffing levels required to meet the volumes of claims failing verification rule 12 Residency Criteria not met was made prior to the decision to ease the rule from April 2003 to December 2004; and if he will make a statement;
	(14)  how many awards of tax credits to people failing residency rules between April 2003 and December 2004 have been  (a) recovered and  (b) written off;
	(15)  what advice he received on the easement of tax credit residency rules; and on what dates the advice was given.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credits follows the policy set by the Home Office, that those who have not established their right to remain permanently in the UK should not have welfare provision on the same basis as those whose citizenship or status here gives them an entitlement to benefits and assistance when in need.
	For this reason, apart from specified circumstances set out in the Tax Credits (Immigration) Regulations 2003, persons subject to immigration control are not eligible for tax credits.
	The cost of the easement is included within tax credit remissions disclosed in HMRC's published accounts. Where the department has identified payments made in error, it has terminated the award so there will be no future payments.
	Code of practice 26 sets out HMRC's established practice not to recover amounts paid out due to official error where the claimant could reasonably have assumed the payment was correct.
	The remaining information requested could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Tax Credits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what difference the latest changes in the disregard for increases in income will make in tax credit entitlement of a family whose income has risen by  (a) 2,500 and  (b) 25,000; and what the criteria are for allowing the respective disregards.

Dawn Primarolo: From 2006-07, a family's annual income can rise up to 25,000 between one year and the next without affecting their tax credit entitlement in the first year of increase.
	The previous income disregard amount was 2,500.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his Department's targets for tax credit administration were  (a) met and  (b) not met in each reporting period from 2003-04 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs reports its performance against targets annually. Details can be found in the Board's Annual Reports for the relevant year. These are available at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm
	Indicative results for 2006-07 will be available in the spring Report which will be published in 2007.

Tax Credits

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many recipients of tax credits in West Lancashire constituency are involved in disputes relating to overpayment;
	(2)  whether the tax credits MPs' hotline is able to make outgoing calls on request to contact constituents who are suffering problems with their tax credits; and how many cases of disputed tax credit payments there have been in West Lancashire since tax credits were introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: For information about the hon. Members' hotline I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 16 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1237W.
	Information about disputed tax credit payments and overpayments are not held at constituency level.

Tax Credits

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the level of fraud in the tax credit system in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 13 July 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1281-2. Also to the HMRC publications Child and Working Tax Credits: Error and fraud statistics 2003-04 and Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits available on the HMRC website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm

Unemployment Statistics

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate of  (a) male and  (b) female unemployment is in new towns in the United Kingdom.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment in all the new towns in the United Kingdom. (85392)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, data are not available for towns. Table 1, attached, shows the unemployment rates, for males and females aged 16 and over, resident in the local authorities in Great Britain which contain recognised New Towns for the 12 months ending December 2005.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the proportions of males (aged 16 to 64) and females (aged 16 to 59) of working age, resident in local authorities in the United Kingdom which contain recognised New Towns, claiming JSA in June 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Male and female unemployment rates; 12 months ending December 2005 
			  Percentage 
			Unemployment rate 
			  New town  Local authority  Male  Female 
			  England
			 Aycliffe Sedgefield 5.7 5.2 
			 Basildon Basildon 4.9 4.0 
			 Bracknell Bracknell Forest 5.6 3.5 
			 Central Lancashire Preston 9.3 6.0 
			  Chorley 4.2 3.7 
			  South Ribble 2.0 2.3 
			 Corby Corby 5.8 3.2 
			 Crawley Crawley 6.6 5.9 
			 Harlow Harlow 9.5 3.7 
			 Hemel Hempstead Dacorum 1.9 3.8 
			 Milton Keynes Milton Keynes 3.2 7.0 
			 Northampton Northampton 5.1 4.2 
			 Peterborough Peterborough 5.2 4.1 
			 Peterlee Easington 5.8 4.5 
			 Redditch Redditch 4.7 2.8 
			 Runcorn Halton 4.9 5.5 
			 Skelmersdale West Lancashire 5.1 3.0 
			 Stevenage Stevenage 5.9 (1) 
			 Telford Telford and Wrekin 5.6 2.4 
			 Warrington Warrington 3.7 2.7 
			 Washington Sunderland 7.3 5.4 
			 Welwyn and Hatfield Welwyn and Hatfield 6.0 2.6 
			 
			  Wales
			 Cwmbran Torfaen 7.1 5.1 
			 Newtown Powys 2.8 2.8 
			 
			  Scotland
			 Cumbernauld North Lanarkshire 8.3 5.3 
			 East Kilbride South Lanarkshire 5.5 4.5 
			 Glenrothes Fife 5.7 4.1 
			 Irvine North Ayrshire 8.3 4.8 
			 Livingston West Lothian 6.0 3.0 
			 (1) Sample size disclosive.  Note:  Estimates are subject to sampling variability.  Source:  Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: JSA claimants as a proportion of resident working age population; Males and females; June 2006 
			  Percentage 
			Proportion of resident working age( 1)  population 
			  New town  Local authority  Male  Female 
			  England
			 Aycliffe Sedgefield 3.6 1.4 
			 Basildon Basildon 3.1 1.4 
			 Bracknell Bracknell Forest 1.9 0.7 
			 Central Lancashire Preston 4.2 1.3 
			  Chorley 2.1 0.9 
			  South Ribble 2.0 0.8 
			 Corby Corby 4.5 1.7 
			 Crawley Crawley 2.4 1.0 
			 Harlow Harlow 4.0 1.8 
			 Hemel Hempstead Dacorum 2.7 1.2 
			 Milton Keynes Milton Keynes 3.2 1.2 
			 Northampton Northampton 3.7 1.5 
			 Peterborough Peterborough 4.6 1.8 
			 Peterlee Easington 3.7 1.3 
			 Redditch Redditch 3.5 1.5 
			 Runcorn Halton 5.2 1.7 
			 Skelmersdale West Lancashire 4.1 1.4 
			 Stevenage Stevenage 3.3 1.2 
			 Telford Telford and Wrekin 3.6 1.3 
			 Warrington Warrington 2.9 1.0 
			 Washington Sunderland 5.2 1.6 
			 Welwyn and Hatfield Welwyn and Hatfield 2.6 1.1 
			 
			  Wales
			 Cwmbran Torfaen 3.8 1.3 
			 Newtown Powys 2.3 1.1 
			 
			  Scotland
			 Cumbernauld North Lanarkshire 4.7 1.7 
			 East Kilbride South Lanarkshire 3.6 1.3 
			 Glenrothes Fife 5.2 1.9 
			 Irvine North Ayrshire 6.7 2.5 
			 Livingston West Lothian 3.5 1.3 
			 
			  Northern Ireland
			 Antrim and Ballymena Antrim 2.4 1.0 
			  Ballymena 2.8 1.2 
			 Craigavon Craigavon 2.8 1.1 
			 Derry Derry 7.7 2.3 
			 (1) Males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative systems.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies and organisations have supplied the Valuation Office Agency with geographic data in the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) receives geographic data from Ordnance Survey through its membership of the Pan Government Agreement on Mapping Products. In addition it takes 'X-Y Co-ordinates' from the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
	Information received but neither incorporated into the VOA database nor used in VOAs Automated Valuation model are flood plain polygons from the Environment Agency and ACORN data from CACI Information Solutions.

Venture Capital Funds

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been allocated to regional venture capital funds in each year since 1999; and on what basis such allocations were made.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Allocations to the Regional Venture Capital Funds were 37.375 million in the financial year 2001-02, 31 million in 2002-03 and 6 million in 2003-04. The allocations were made as a result of a competitive bidding exercise in each English region.

Venture Capital Funds

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the 20 million fund allocated to aid the start-up of high tech venture capital funds has been spent in each year since 1999; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's total investment commitment to the UK High Technology Fund was drawn down in the financial year 2000-01 (12 million in 2000 and a further 8 million in early 2001).

Venture Capital Funds

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much high tech venture capital funds have been set up in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1999 as a result of the start-up funding announced in the 1999 Budget.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK High Technology Fund was established in 1999 and has invested in nine existing high technology-based venture capital firms based in the UK. All of these funds can invest across the UK.

HEALTH

Health Inequalities

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in tackling health inequalities and variations in life expectancy.

Caroline Flint: Life expectancy is improving across England for all but is currently improving more slowly in the spearhead areas with the worst deprivation. Some spearhead areas are on track to meet the 2010 health inequalities target and we are working to ensure this best practice is spread not only to enable more people to live longer but to narrow the health inequalities gap.

Waiting Times

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients normally resident  (a) in England,  (b) in Wales and  (c) elsewhere have been waiting more than six months for an NHS in-patient operation at English hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The following table details the number of patients who had been waiting more than six months for in-patient admission within English national health service provider trusts at the end of May 2006. The data are split to show the country in which the patient's general practitioner practice is located.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Total 862 
			  Of which:  
			 England 34 
			 Wales 825 
			 Guernsey 3

Colchester General Hospital

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit Colchester to discuss the provision of health facilities at Colchester General Hospital.

Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no immediate plans to visit Colchester general hospital. However, should the chair of the hospital board wish to invite a Minister to visit it would be given due consideration.

Colchester General Hospital

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 26 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 221-2W, on Colchester general hospital, whether discussions have taken place with  (a) the Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust and  (b) the private sector partner since that date; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: To date no discussions have taken place between the Department, the Essex Rivers healthcare national health service trust and the former preferred private finance initiative bidder.

Mental Health Institutions

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of female patients in NHS mental health institutions.

Rosie Winterton: There have been increasing steps to improve the safety and privacy of women when they are admitted to in-patient units, and there are now more acute in-patients services that provide either self-contained women-only wards, or solely single-sex wards, reflecting the clear preference of the majority of women service users.

Mental Health Services

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on mental health services in the West Midlands.

Rosie Winterton: Total investment in mental health services within the new West Midlands strategic health authority has increased to over 499 million in 2005-06. This represents an increase of 5.1 per cent. from the 475 million investment in the three former strategic health authorities in 2004-05.

Eastbourne District General Hospital

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the delivery of services by the Eastbourne district general hospital.

Caroline Flint: The Eastbourne district general hospital, part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, provides a full range of acute services for the residents of Eastbourne and the surrounding areas.

Mesothelioma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's recent decision regarding the provision of Alimta for people with mesothelioma.

Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its final appraisal determination on pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) for mesothelioma on 26 June. Consultees were given until 10 July to lodge an appeal against NICE's determination. NICE will not issue final guidance to the NHS until any appeals have been heard.

Alzheimer's Disease

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she next expects to meet representatives of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to discuss drugs for people with Alzheimer's disease.

Andy Burnham: I have no meetings planned with representatives of NICE on this issue. I am due to meet with the chair and chief executive of NICE on 20 July for a general discussion about the Institute's work.

Community Hospitals

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution she expects community hospitals to make to the provision of patient care closer to where they live.

Ivan Lewis: I expect community hospitals to make a significant contribution to the provision of convenient, high quality and local care for patients. As such we are evaluating the contribution community hospitals can make to shifting care as part of the Care Closer to Home Demonstration Project. Furthermore Our Health Our care Our Community: Investing in Community Hospitals and Services set out our programme for the future of community hospitals and their role in the provision of local and convenient patient care.

Assisted Reproductive Technology

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies have been born in each region in England through assisted reproductive technology in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does collect data on live births reported to it by HFEA licensed clinics resulting from treatment cycles involving in vitro fertilisation and donor insemination. Data, by region, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Live births resulting from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and donor insemination (DI) treatment cycles from 1997 to 2004( 1) 
			  District( 2)  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 East Midlands 892 717 840 763 789 782 738 786 
			 East of England 563 510 539 577 628 621 777 727 
			 London 2,631 2,751 2,801 3,115 3,197 2,838 3,359 3,205 
			 North East 300 323 352 412 360 450 334 409 
			 North West 758 789 767 892 893 867 1,013 1,151 
			 South East 758 651 772 702 639 764 805 768 
			 South West 429 445 403 458 443 489 516 582 
			 West Midlands 849 905 843 770 777 900 851 937 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 809 908 1,065 898 879 945 910 1,045 
			 (1 )2004 is the most recent year for which information is available. (2) The table identifies the total number of babies born according to their date of birth. HFEA has used the Patients Guide To Infertility of regions, which relates to the location in which the IVF or DI treatment took place. This is not necessarily the location of the birth or the place of residence of the patient.  Source:  Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Canary Wharf Walk-in Centre

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total value is of the contract awarded to Atos Origin to run the NHS walk-in centre at Canary Wharf; and what the cost is in each of the five years of the contract;
	(2)  whether the value of the contract for the walk-in centre at Canary Wharf changes according to throughput; whether it is  (a) a fixed price block contract,  (b) a cost and volume contract and  (c) a payment by results contract with a fixed sum per case seen;

Caroline Flint: The value of the contract depends on use of the service as the contract price is a combination of fixed cost elements and a price per patient. The total value of the contract is commercial in confidence.

Canary Wharf Walk-in Centre

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Tower Hamlets primary care trust will have to fund the contract for the walk-in centre at Canary Wharf.

Caroline Flint: This national health service walk-in centre is intended to provide services for commuters and local people. It is now funded centrally by the Department and our intention is that, in time, it should be funded locally, with costs shared between the primary care trusts whose patients use it. That is not possible yet and we have guaranteed central funding for at least three years.

Canary Wharf Walk-in Centre

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been seen in each week since the walk-in centre at Canary Wharf was opened; and how many of those seen were  (a) Tower Hamlets residents and  (b) those who commute into the area to work.

Caroline Flint: Information on the weekly number of episodes of care provided at the Canary Wharf national health service walk-in centre is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Week commencing  Episodes of care 
			  2006  
			 17 April 6 
			 24 April 69 
			 1 May 97 
			 8 May 171 
			 15 May 173 
			 22 May 184 
			 29 May 177 
			 5 June 250 
			 12 June 272 
			 19 June 316 
			 26 June 272 
			  Notes:  1. The Canary Wharf walk-in centre commenced services on 21 April 2006.  2. Data for April and May, the latest available, indicates that 58 per cent. of the people using the service are local to the area of Tower Hamlets primary care trust.

Carbon Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the carbon emissions of her Department; what commitment she has made to reducing such emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In 2004-05, the Department's estimated carbon emissions from the buildings on its London administrative estate were 1,916,133 kilogrammes of carbon (kgC) (weather corrected). Our estimated emissions from cars used for official business was 31,397 kgC.
	The Department is committed to reducing its carbon emissions. We have a policy to renew plant and equipment with more energy efficient models. We also purchase energy from renewable sources wherever possible. The Carbon Trust has recently undertaken an energy survey of our three main London buildings, and we will seek to implement its recommendations where practicable.
	We have also taken steps to reduce the requirement for staff to travel to meetings, by providing video conferencing facilities in all our buildings. We have also recently terminated the contract for a shuttle bus that provided staff transport between buildings, saving London mileage of 90 miles per day. Staff are now being encouraged to use public transport, or to walk.

Chlamydia Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of primary care trusts offer chlamydia screening as part of the national chlamydia screening programme;
	(2)  what percentage of primary care trusts is participating in the chlamydia screening programme; and when she expects 100 per cent. geographical coverage to be achieved.

Caroline Flint: By the end of June, 36 per cent of primary care trusts were offering chlamydia screening as part of the national chlamydia screening programme (NCSP).
	The White Paper, Choosing Health: Making healthier choices easier, a copy of which is available in the Library, announced an accelerated timetable to achieve national roll out of the NCSP by March 2007.
	The Health Protection Agency is now leading the roll out of the programme and is supporting local areas to drive up the number of people screened.

Correspondence

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letters of 30  (a) March ,  (b) May and  (c) June 2006, from the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent, about a constituent, Mrs. Maton.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 14 July 2006
	We have no record of receiving the letters of March and May. The letter of June 2006 was replied to on 14 July 2006.

Credit Unions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will provide information and membership forms for credit unions to its employees.

Ivan Lewis: The Government welcome the contribution made by the various savings institutions in providing for greater choice and diversity in the financial services sector.
	The Government's guiding principles are to ensure impartiality and to help create a level playing field for all providers of financial services in order that their specific attributes can be properly harnessed.
	It would therefore be inconsistent for a Government Department to favour credit unions above other financial institutions.
	Employees are of course free to join in credit unions if they meet their relevant membership criteria and Departments may provide appropriate levels of support if employees wish to set up a credit union.

Dentistry

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to facilitate the transition of denturists from a system of self-regulation to one of licensed regulation with the General Dental Council, following the Dentists Act 1984 (Amendment) Order 2005.

Rosie Winterton: Individuals who have been practising denturism in the United Kingdom (UK) have been doing so illegally and therefore there cannot be transitional provisions which allow them to enter the register on the basis of their UK experience. The legislation just approved allows them to practice legally in future if they now qualify.
	Individuals who wish to register as clinical dental technicians (CDTs) will need to undertake a General Dental Council (GDC)-approved CDT qualification unless they already hold a qualification comparable to the ones the GDC will now recognise.

Departmental Travel

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure that all flights undertaken by Ministers and officials in her Department are carbon neutral; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
	Carbon emissions from all of the Department's official air travel are included in the Government's carbon offsetting commitment. Carbon emissions from flights taken after 1 April 2006 will be recorded and offset.

Diamorphine

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure adequate supplies of diamorphine to hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Department is working closely with the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) and the manufacturers to manage the shortage of diamorphine injection. We continue to monitor the supply situation closely.
	NHS PASA provides updates on the supply situation to hospital procurement pharmacists. The Department issued guidance in December 2004 to prescribers and other healthcare professionals to ensure supplies are used effectively.

Food Standards Agency

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what programme of consumer education the Food Standards Agency is planning to implement to support the multiple traffic light food signposting scheme.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published information aimed at raising consumer awareness and understanding of traffic light colour coded signposting on its website at www.eatwell.gov.uk and will be developing this advice further over coming months.
	The FSA is also working closely with businesses who are using traffic light coloured signposting schemes and consumers and public health groups to ensure that clear and consistent advice is available to consumers to help them use signpost information to make healthier choices about the food that they buy.

Foundation Trusts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how  (a) employees and  (b) elected representatives of NHS foundation trusts can obtain information concerning staff discipline.

Ivan Lewis: National health service foundation trusts have independent status within the NHS. They are free from Secretary of State's powers of direction and can determine their own human resources (HR) policy and procedures to facilitate the innovative development of the work force. Specific aspects concerning HR policy will be available from the respective organisations.

General Food Regulations

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prosecutions there have been under the General Food Regulations 2004 for not informing the competent authorities of non-compliance with food safety requirements set out in article 14 of the EC regulations 180/2002; how many of these have resulted in convictions; what penalties have been imposed; which competent authority brought each case; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the information requested is not available centrally.
	The latest available information on food law enforcement by local authorities is for the financial year 2004-05. For that year, local authorities have reported to the FSA that, across all of the United Kingdom, they took 902 prosecutions against 570 food establishments. 458 of those 570 food establishments were convicted.

Health Trusts

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1548W, on health trusts (Hampshire), what the 2005-06 provisional out-turn was for  (a) Salisbury Health Care Trust,  (b) Frimley Park Hospital and  (c) Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Caroline Flint: The table shows provisional out-turn for the financial year 2005-06 of Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust.
	
		
			  Organisation name  2005-06 provisional out-turn under/(over) spend (000) 
			 Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 276 
		
	
	I am informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) that Frimley Park Foundation Trust achieved an unaudited 3.5 million surplus in 2005-06 and that audited accounts for each NHS foundation trust for 2005-06 are due to be laid before Parliament this summer.

Healthcare Commission

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cases submitted to the Healthcare Commission have waited longer than 12 months before the investigation started; and in how many cases submitted the investigation has not yet started;
	(2)  how long on average has elapsed between a case being submitted to the Healthcare Commission and the investigation starting.

Andy Burnham: I understand from the chairman of the Healthcare Commission that the Commission does not collect information in the format requested.
	The Healthcare Commission assumed responsibility for the independent review of national health service complaints at the end of July 2004. Between then and 14 July 2006, the Commission received 15,765 requests for review. Of these, 5,615 were closed within six months and 3,670 within 12 months, with a further 1,310 taking over 12 months. Of the remainder, 2,141 have yet to be allocated to a case manager. Of these, 1,041 are over six months old; none are over 12 months old. Of cases currently under review, 882 are over six months old and 805 over 12 months old.

Independent Providers (Elective Procedures)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an assessment of the extent to which primary care trusts have paid independent providers of elective procedures for services which  (a) were not provided in 2005-06 and  (b) have not yet been provided in the first quarter of 2006-07.

Ivan Lewis: Individual contracts' performances are monitored to ensure facilities are utilised. Providers are not paid for activity that they do not deliver, but under the terms of the contract may receive payments when referrals are lower than expected to ensure a continuity of service.
	The Department expects that over the life of the contract we will achieve the full value; it is therefore too early to suggest any money has been lost. A final reconciliation of payments and activity will take place at the end of the contract to ensure that providers have delivered the full value of activity specified in their contracts.

Independent Providers (Elective Procedures)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of whether the independent healthcare provider Capio has been paid by the NHS for operations and procedures which have not taken place.

Ivan Lewis: Capio and national health service sponsors are working to ensure that the full value of activity is delivered over the contract period. The Department expects that over the life of the contract we will achieve the full value; it is therefore too early to suggest any money has been lost. Contract utilisation is monitored on a monthly basis; a final reconciliation of payments and activity will take place at the end of the contract.

Neonatal Care

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to increase the level of recruitment of neonatal nursing staff; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service ensures the maintenance of adequate staffing levels through local delivery plans. Delivering the NHS Improvement Plan: the Workforce Contribution highlights strategic work force issues, which primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are asked to ensure are considered in their local delivery plans. This includes maintaining adequate staffing levels as well as achieving greater productivity. It is for local hospital trusts to ensure that there are appropriate nursing levels within neonatal units.

New Hospitals

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the proportion of  (a) multi-bed and  (b) single-bed wards is in new build hospitals (i) constructed since 2000 and (ii) proposed in the next five years.

Andy Burnham: The data for multi-bed and single-bed wards are not collected in the format requested.
	The Department collects bed data retrospectively across the existing estate by national health service trust, not by individual hospital. Based on 2005-06 data 74.2 per cent. of beds are in multi bedrooms and 25.8 per cent. in single bedrooms.

Newham PCT

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  by how much Newham Primary Care Trust was under its weighted capitation target in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06; and by how much she expects it to be under its weighted capitation target in financial year 2006-07;
	(2)  when she expects Newham Primary Care Trust to reach its weighted capitation target; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Revenue allocations were first made to primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2003-04, prior to this funding was allocated to health authorities. The distances from target for Newham PCT for the period 2003-04 to 2007-08 are provided in the table.
	
		
			  Newham PCTdistances from target (DFT) 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Distances from target 
			 2003-04 -8.7 
			 2004-05 -8.0 
			 2005-06 -6.0 
			 2006-07 -3.2 
			 2007-08 -3.2 
		
	
	Revenue allocations to PCTs are made on the basis of a weighted capitation formula, which directs funding to those areas of greatest need.
	The weighted capitation formula calculates a PCTs' target share of available resources. Once the target is set by the formula, the speed at which PCTs reach their target is determined by the pace of change policy.
	For the 2006 to 2008 revenue allocations, the policy is to move PCTs more quickly towards their target share of funds. In 2003-04, the most under target PCT was 22 per cent. target and by the end of 2007-08, no PCT will be more than 3.5 per cent. below its fair share.

NHS Beds

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) bed occupancy rates and  (b) bed availability numbers for England for (i) all bed types (ii) general and acute beds, (iii) acute beds, (iv) geriatric beds, (v) mental illness beds, (vi) learning disabilities beds and (vii) maternity beds were in each year since 1988.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Average daily number of available beds and bed occupancy rates, by sector, England, 1987-88 to 2004-05 
			   All specialties (excluding day only)available  All specialties (excluding day only)occupied  All specialties (excluding day only) occupancy rate (percentage)  General and acute available  General and acute occupied  General and acute occupancy rate (percentage) 
			 1987-88 297,364   180,889   
			 1988-89 282,918   174,491   
			 1989-90 270,301   169,901   
			 1990-91 255,479   162,691   
			 1991-92 242,677   157,247   
			 1992-93 232,201   153,208   
			 1993-94 219,476   147,153   
			 1994-95 211,812   144,803   
			 1995-96 206,136   142,624   
			 1996-97 198,848 161,744 81.3 140,515 113,591 80.8 
			 1997-98 193,625 156,549 80.9 138,047 111,112 80.5 
			 1998-99 190,006 156,669 82.5 136,426 112,486 82.5 
			 1999-2000 186,290 154,137 82.7 135,080 112,279 83.1 
			 2000-01 186,091 156,290 84.0 135,794 114,982 84.7 
			 2001-02 184,871 157,330 85.1 136,583 117,437 86.0 
			 2002-03 183,826 156,933 85.4 136,679 118,278 86.5 
			 2003-04 184,019 157,984 85.9 137,247 119,312 86.9 
			 2004-05 181,784 154,868 85.2 136,123 117,164 86.1 
		
	
	
		
			   Acute available  Acute occupancy rate (percentage)  Geriatric available 
			 1987-88 127,616  53,273 
			 1988-89 123,450  51,041 
			 1989-90 121,170  48,731 
			 1990-91 116,788  45,902 
			 1991-92 115,140  42,107 
			 1992-93 112,862  40,346 
			 1993-94 109,713  37,440 
			 1994-95 108,008  36,795 
			 1995-96 108,296  34,328 
			 1996-97 108,869 78.9 31,646 
			 1997-98 107,807 78.9 30,240 
			 1998-99 107,729 80.8 28,697 
			 1999-2000 107,218 81.5 27,862 
			 2000-01 107,956 83.1 27,838 
			 2001-02 108,535 84.5 28,047 
			 2002-03 108,706 85.3 27,973 
			 2003-04 109,793 85.6 27,454 
			 2004-05 109,505 84.8 26,619 
			  Source: Department of Health form KH03 Published data 
		
	
	
		
			   Geriatric occupancy rate (percentage)  Mental illness available  Mental illness occupancy rate (percentage)  Learning disability available  Learning disability occupancy rate (percentage)  Maternity available  Maternity occupancy rate (percentage) 
			 1987-88  67,122  33,421  15,932  
			 1988-89  63,012  30,048  15,367  
			 1989-90  59,288  26,406  14,706  
			 1990-91  55,239  23,379  14,170  
			 1991-92  50,278  21,383  13,770  
			 1992-93  47,308  18,519  13,167  
			 1993-94  43,532  16,269  12,521  
			 1994-95  41,827  13,211  11,971  
			 1995-96  39,477  12,676  11,358  
			 1996-97 87.4 37,640 86.9 9,693 88.3 11,000 625 
			 1997-98 86.2 36,601 86.5 8,197 88.1 10,781 609 
			 1998-99 88.8 35,692 87.5 7,491 86.1 10,398 62.7 
			 1999-2000 89.3 34,173 87.1 6,834 85.4 10,203 612 
			 2000-01 90.7 34,214 87.4 6,316 87.1 9,767 60.3 
			 2001-02 91.8 32,783 88.6 5,694 86.8 9,812 60.2 
			 2002-03 91.4 32,753 87.5 5,038 85.6 9,356 60.8 
			 2003-04 92.2 32,252 88.0 5,212 84.1 9,309 633 
			 2004-05 91.3 31,667 87.9 4,899 84.4 9,095 631

NHS Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on how the market forces factor formula is used in determining payments to hospital trusts; what assessment she has made of its appropriateness; and whether she plans to review its operation.

Andy Burnham: For activity within the scope of payment by results, national health service trusts are paid by their commissioners according to the national tariff. These payments are adjusted by the relevant market forces factors (MFF). The MFF is intended to reflect unavoidable variations in costs directly related to location.
	The MFF is kept under constant review, and its development has been overseen by the advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA). As part of its work for the Department, ACRA will review the MFF and make recommendations to Ministers in 2007-08.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which variables are included in the weighted capitation formula for primary care trust allocations; and from what data sources figures for each variable are determined.

Andy Burnham: Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula (Fifth Edition) lists the variables included in the weighted-capitation formula and their data sources. A copy of this document is available in the Library.

NHS Finance

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest forecast year-end gross NHS deficit is for 2006-07.

Patricia Hewitt: The 2005-06 provisional outturn is the most recently published data on the national health service financial position. This data shows that provisionally the NHS reported a gross deficit of just under 1.3 billion, and a net deficit of 512 million. I intend to publish the first quarterly finance report for the NHS for 2006-07, on 11 August 2006.

NHS Performance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department plans to take in respect of those primary care trusts which  (a) failed to achieve in 2005-06 and  (b) fail to achieve in 2006-07 the proposed target of the purchase of 15 per cent. of the budget for all planned elective procedures from the private and independent sector.

Andy Burnham: The figure of 15 per cent. is not a target but a level of service that the independent sector might be providing by 2008. The number of procedures in any one year will vary depending on the actual case mix that is required by the local national health service. Contracts are designed to allow for this flexibility and therefore no action is required by the Department.

NHS Performance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 264, on NHS performance, what assessment she has made of the impact on primary care trusts (PCTs) of  (a) social and economic deprivation,  (b) the proportion of elderly people living in the community,  (c) the demands of a rural economy and  (d) the market forces factor where each factor has the greatest (i) positive and (ii) negative impact; and what assessment she has made of the average impact of each element on PCTs.

Andy Burnham: Our initial analysis on a range of factors relating to the 2005-06 financial positions of national health service organisations has shown that there is no strong relationship between NHS financial performance and any single factor.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what access young offenders at Oakhill Secure Training Centre in Milton Keynes have to a clinical psychologist; and whether she expects this level of access to change when the full-time posts have been disestablished.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Health care services at Oakhill are provided by Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust under contract to the centre's operator, Group 4 Securicor. The primary care trust currently employs a clinical psychologist and an assistant at the centre. Psychology provision at the centre is currently being reviewed by the primary care trust and a 30-day consultation period with holders of the psychology posts at Oakhill is in progress. The consultation period ends on 27 July. The Youth Justice Board is monitoring developments closely. The level of service that the board requires at Oakhill has not changed and the board will monitor performance to ensure that that level of service continues to be delivered.

Obstetrics (Insurance Costs)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department collects on the cost of insurance as a proportion of the tariff for  (a) a normal birth,  (b) a delivery with complications and  (c) a caesarean section; what allowance is made for the cost of the insurance premium in allocating tariffs for obstetrics; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The national tariffs for a normal birth, a delivery with complications and a caesarean section are calculated from data on the average costs of these services as reported by NHS trusts, foundation trusts and primary care trusts, which are used to inform the reference cost index. The reference costs collection is based on a full absorption costing methodology and therefore includes the cost of insurance. However, the cost of insurance is not separately identifiable within the tariff.
	We do, however, recognise that insurance premiums are proportionately high for maternity services, which is why we have made it clear in our reference costs guidance 'Reference costs 2006 collection: Costing and activity guidance and requirements' that trusts should reflect this in the relevant cost pool(s) when determining the unit costs of all types of maternity activity. This guidance is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/PbR

Osteoporosis

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what submissions her Department received on the inclusion of osteoporosis indicators in the quality and outcomes framework of the GP contract which came into effect in April 2006;
	(2)  why indicators for osteoporosis were not included in the quality and outcomes framework of the GP contract which came into effect in April 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: As part of the negotiations for the new general medical services contract for April 2006 an expert panel was engaged by NHS Employers to receive and review submissions on clinical areas for possible inclusion in the quality and outcomes framework (QOF). The number of submissions to the panel for the inclusion of osteoporosis totalled seven out of 514. All submissions were considered and the expert panel produced reports which have been published on the University of Birmingham website.
	During the negotiations many clinical conditions were considered. The key criteria for inclusion in QOF were:
	an evidence base for the effectiveness of intervention in primary care;
	the health benefits likely to result from improved primary care; and
	Government health priorities for investment through the contractual arrangements with general practitioners.
	Due to technical problems with the proposed indicators and the degree of priority attached to other changes to the QOF, the proposals for osteoporosis were not taken forward for the 2006 contract changes. As part of the continuing development of the framework, indicators will be reviewed in the light of emerging evidence and in terms of value for money.

Premature Babies

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans she has to review the policy of not centrally collating information on the movement between neonatal networks of premature babies; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what action she is taking to reduce the incidence of closure to admissions of level three intensive care units for neonatal care of premature babies; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has supported the development of 24 neonatal managed clinical networks to provide the safest and most effective service for mothers and babies. Since April 2003 over 70 million additional funding has been made available to support the development of networks. The closure to admissions of level three neonatal intensive care units is a matter for local networks. It is for networks to ensure there are appropriate levels of care available to meet prevalent local demand.
	The Department has no plans to review the policy of not centrally collating information on the movement of babies between neonatal networks for the reasons outlined in my reply to the hon. Member on 2 June 2006,  Official Report, column 22W.

Primary Care Trusts

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) overall cost and  (b) cost per head of population in each area is of the reorganisation of the primary care trusts in (i) Hampshire and (ii) England; whether this cost is to be met from (A) existing budgets and (B) new allocations; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The costs of the changes that were announced on the 16 May will depend on a number of factors, including the location of new organisations being created, the number of people in the new organisations, and new pay ranges for very senior managers as well as changes in estate costs following reconfiguration.
	These arrangements are currently being worked up and discussed with trade unions and staff. Until those discussions have been concluded and the detail of new arrangements agreed it is not possible to confirm or accurately forecast costs.
	Commissioning a patient-led NHS is designed to deliver at least 250 million savings from administration costs through streamlining for reinvestment in frontline services. The savings are expected to be realised by the end of 2007 and then every year for reinvestment beginning in 2008-09.

Private Finance Initiative Projects

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of private finance initiative projects for which her Department is responsible has been completed  (a) over budget and  (b) late in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Information on completed private finance initiative (PFI) projects which have gone over budget or opened late is not routinely collected centrally. To provide such information for each of the past five years would incur disproportionate costs.
	A key aspect of PFI is the transfer of risk of projects going over budget. Therefore, any cost overruns will be borne by the private sector provider, not the public sector. The private sector is only paid once the facility is built and operational to the agreed standard and is subject to penalties and deductions if services falls below agreed standard.

Smoking

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make regulations concerning the prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The Department published a consultation on proposed regulations to be made under part one, chapter one of the Health Bill titled Smoke-free premises and vehicles: Consultation on proposed regulations to be made under powers in the Health Bill on 17 July 2006. Copies of the consultation document are available in the Library, or on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/consultations/liveconsultations.
	The Smoke-free premises and vehicles consultation will run between 17 July and 9 October 2006. Regulations will be laid after the consultation has ended and responses considered.

Smoking

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will undertake an assessment of the safety implications for health service staff arising from the recently introduced ban on smoking on health service property.

Caroline Flint: In the Choosing Health White Paper published in 2004, we set out our decision that national health service buildings would be smoke-free by the end of 2006, ahead of the requirements set out in the Health Bill, which will see virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces become smoke-free from summer 2007.
	The removal of smoking from NHS buildings will not only result in protection from the harms associated with secondhand smoke for staff, patients and visitors to NHS buildings, but will result in greater safety, for example, by the reduction in the danger of fire. Consideration of the detailed safety implications at individual NHS properties will be for local managers.
	The safety benefits of the smoke-free provisions of the Health Bill are referred to in the regulatory impact assessment published alongside the Bill, on its website at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Legislation/RegulatoryImpactAssessment/RegulatoryimpactAssessmentArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4121917chk=sUauD/

Telephones (Hospitals)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidelines her Department provides to hospital trusts on charges for  (a) outgoing and  (b) incoming telephone calls from hospital bedside units;
	(2)  what the average cost per minute for  (a) outgoing and  (b) incoming telephone calls from hospital bedside units in each hospital trust was in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact of telephone charges from bedside units on patients.

Andy Burnham: Three private companies are licensed to provide bedside entertainment systems in England. These are hospital telephone services (HTS), Patientline and Premier Managed Payphones. Patientline was the only supplier of the service prior to the NHS Plan announcement in 2000 and subsequent licensing of the suppliers.
	The cost of outgoing calls has remained constant at 10 pence per minute (minimum 20 pence), for local and national calls.
	The incoming call charges have remained constant for Patientline and Premier at 39 pence per minute off peak and 49 pence per minute peak.
	HTS charges per minute were; 14 pence in 2002, 17 pence in 2003, 20 pence in 2004 and they currently charge 35 pence.
	International calls and calls to mobile phones vary.
	The licence documentation contains guidance on acceptance charging strategies within the national health service.
	No assessment has been made of the financial impact of telephone charges from the bedside units on patients.
	Bedside telephones represent an enhanced service, providing additional choice for patients. Patients not wishing to use these services remain free to use hospital payphones as they have always been able to in the past.

Veterans (Health Care)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that NHS employees are informed of the health needs of  (a) war pensioners and  (b) veterans.

Ivan Lewis: When a member of the armed forces with a current and ongoing health problem prepares to re-enter civilian life, it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to engage with the primary care trust of future residence as early as possible to ensure the seamless transfer of care from the Defence Medical Services to the national health service. Thereafter, it is the duty of the attending NHS clinician to asses the changing health needs of the individual taking account of all relevant factors, including occupation and associated exposures and experiences.
	Standing guidance on arrangements between the MOD and the NHS, as well as guidance on the right of war pensioners to generally receive priority treatment in NHS hospitals in respect of the condition or conditions for which they receive a pension or received a gratuity, is published on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.

WORK AND PENSIONS

50-plus Workers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of people in work aged 50 years and over in Yeovil constituency.

Jim Murphy: Like all other customers, people aged 50 and over can benefit from the range of services provided by Jobcentre Plus, including access to jobs and help and support to find work.
	Additional help is provided to older people who do not find work quickly. New deal 50 plus is a voluntary programme that provides people with advice and guidance from personal advisers, and access to in-work financial help through the 50 plus element of the working tax credit. Since April 2000, the programme has been successful in helping more than 150,000 older workers into employment, including 200 people in Yeovil. Once in work, new deal 50 plus customers can claim a training grant of up to 1,500 for training of which up to 300 can be used for life-long learning.
	People aged 50 and over, including those in Yeovil, are also eligible for help from new deal 25 plus. People who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for 18 months and who have not previously participated on new deal 25 plus, are already required to attend the gateway stage of the new deal 25 plus programme. This is a period of up to four months of intensive job search and specialist help and support to improve job prospects. This is followed by the intensive activity period (IAP) which is currently voluntary for people aged 50 and over. The IAP provides further support and pre-work training to help people return to work.
	Since April 2004, we have been piloting mandatory participation in the New deal 25 plus IAP for people aged 50-59 who have been claiming JSA for 18 months. Yeovil was included in the pilot which offered people in this age group more extensive help back to work. Interim results are positive and, as announced in our Welfare Reform Green Paper, we intend to commence a phased national rollout.
	Between 1979 and the mid 1990s, the number of people on incapacity benefits trebled. Since then, growth in the caseload has since slowed significantly and, in November 2005, there were 2.71 million people claiming incapacity benefits, a fall of 61,000 over the year. 46 per cent. of those claiming incapacity benefits are aged between 50 and state pension age although, between 2000 and 2005, the number of people in this age group fell by 52,000. This has contributed to the overall reduction in the incapacity benefits case load.
	We still clearly have more work to do and, like other age groups, people aged 50 and over will be able to benefit from the rollout of the successful Pathways to Work service across the whole country which will be completed by 2008. Pathways offers new incapacity benefit (IB) customers early support from skilled personal advisers and direct access to a 'Choices Package' of employment programmes and clear financial incentives to make work pay. Any IB customer will be able to access the support and help available on a voluntary basis. Pathways has already begun helping people in the Yeovil area, having rolled out there in April 2004.
	Through our Age Positive Campaign we are working with employers and others to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce and best practice on age in recruitment, training and promotion. In May 2005 we launched the 'Be Ready' national information campaign to raise employer awareness of, and ability to adopt, flexible employment and retirement opportunities to support the recruitment and retention of older workers in advance of age legislation due in October 2006.

Access to Work

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid from the Access to Work scheme to other Central Government Departments for adjustments for disabled workers in each of the last five years, broken down by Department.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available broken down by employer and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Action for Employment Ltd.

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1565-66W, on Action for Employment Ltd., whether the fee paid to Action for Employment Ltd. per customer was the same in the case of a customer choosing a post office card account and bank account.

James Plaskitt: Action for Employment Ltd. received a single fee for the completion of outreach work, regardless of whether the customer chose a post office card account or a bank account.

Average Income

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average household income for  (a) retired and  (b) unemployed households was in (i) the UK as a whole and (ii) each parliamentary constituency in each of the last eight years.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding median incomes for Great Britain is available in Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 1994/95-2004/05, available in the Library. The main source for HBAI is the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The information shown is for Great Britain only.
	Average household income is defined as median household income which is the main measure used in HBAI.
	The data source does not allow us to provide robust estimates at a parliamentary constituency level. Information for the UK is not available for the last eight years.
	The following tables show the median income in Great Britain in each of the last eight years for  (A) retired households and  (B) unemployed (workless) households.
	
		
			  Table A: Median household income for the retired( 1)  in each year's prices, Great Britain, 1997-98 to 2004-05 
			   per week equivalised 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1997-98 215 193 
			 1998-99 221 201 
			 1999-2000 235 213 
			 2000-01 244 224 
			 2001-02 257 238 
			 2002-03 267 247 
			 2003-04 279 258 
			 2004-05 300 276 
			 (1) Retired is defined as individuals who are state pension age or above (females aged over 60 and males aged over 65). This category also includes individuals in a couple where one is below and one above state pension age.  Source: FRS 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Median household income for workless households( 1)  in each year's prices, Great Britain, 1997-98 to 2004-05 
			  Working-age adults:  per week equivalised 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1997-98 157 111 
			 1998-99 164 116 
			 1999-2000 174 123 
			 2000-01 179 130 
			 2001-02 190 138 
			 2002-03 194 144 
			 2003-04 202 147 
			 2004-05 212 158 
			 (1) Workless households are defined as households where all individuals, of working age, that are eligible for employment are not in employment.  Source:  FRS

Child Support Agency

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what arrangements the Child Support Agency has for ensuring the prompt payment of child support recovered by bailiffs to its outsourced finance handling company Liberata;
	(2)  what Liberata's target is for the time taken to make payments collected from bailiffs to parents with care; and in what percentage of cases Liberata has met this target.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 July 2006:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You also asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what Liberata's target is for the time taken to make payments collected from bailiffs to parents with care; and in what percentage of cases Liberata has met this target.
	The Department of Work and Pensions contract with Liberata requires the Agency to utilise their services for the payment of invoices, court charges and some manual payments to clients.
	Liberata do not deal with the payment of child support monies collected by a bailiff company. This is solely an Agency function.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Child Support Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what bonuses relating to performance were paid to staff managing the EDS contract at the Child Support Agency in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Hilary Reynolds, dated 18 July 2006:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is out of the country, I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what bonuses relating to performance were paid to staff managing the EDS contract at the Child Support Agency in each of the last four years for which figures are available.
	All people employed by the Department for Work and Pensions may qualify for performance related pay. The performance related pay arrangements operate on a sliding scale with over 90% of employees receiving a payment at the end of the performance year.
	In addition, the Department operates a Special Bonus scheme, which rewards employees for exceptional achievements outside the requirements of their key work objectives.
	The table below shows special bonus payments paid to people involved in managing the EDS contract. However, managing the EDS contract forms only part of their roles and responsibilities.
	These payments arose from when the new child support computer system went live in March 2003.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount of payment () 
			 2003-04 1,600.00 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 500.00 
		
	
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support Agency

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases have been dealt with as clerical cases due to administrative errors on the part of his Department since January 2005.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 July 2006:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases have been dealt with as clerical cases due to administrative errors on the part of his Department since January 2005.
	Cases are taken off the new computer system (CS2) and progressed clerically if a technical fault occurs and the case cannot be progressed on the system.
	If an administrative error is found to have occurred, then Agency staff will look to resolve that error while the case is still being operated on CS2. The case would only be progressed clerically if a technical fault subsequently occurred.
	The total volume of cases being clerically progressed in each month from March 2005 to March 2006 is available in table 19 of the latest edition of the Agency's Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS), a copy of which is available in the House library, as well as on the internet at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp.
	For convenience, these figures are attached.
	I recognise that the figures given here differ from those given in response to PQ 21451. This is due to improvements in management information which now allows us to provide a more accurate picture of the Agency's clerical caseload.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	
		
			  Volume of cases being progressed clerically in each month from the CS2 system 
			   Number of new system clerical cases 
			  2005  
			 March 10,000 
			 April 11,000 
			 May 12,000 
			 June 13,000 
			 July 13,000 
			 August 14,000 
			 September 14,000 
			 October 15,000 
			 November 16,000 
			 December 16,000 
			  2006  
			 January 17,000 
			 February 17,000 
			 March 19,000 
			 Notes: 1. The above figures show the number of new and old scheme cases from CS2 that were being processed clerically, in the main due to technical IT problems that prevented them from being progressed on the CS2 system itself. 2. Note that the figures for later months are provisional, and may be subject to minor retrospective revisions. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 4. Due to limitations in management information, we are unable to include the number of cases that are being progressed clerically off the old system (CSCS).

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the assessment of student grants;
	(2)  when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on non-biological parents being assessed for the student grant loan of a biological child of their partner.

James Plaskitt: The Department wrote to the hon. Member on 28 June advising him that the matters raised in his letter are the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills, that his letter had been passed to that Department and that they would reply to the hon. Member directly.

Environmental Management

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department  (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and  (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Department is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 and has in place an environmental management system, based on this standard, which covers the Department and its agencies, business impacts, staff and buildings. An Environmental Management System certified to ISO 14001-2004 run by the Department's facilities management provider, Land Securities Trillium, covers the estates impacts of the Department.
	In addition, Jobcentre Plus South East operates an Environmental Management System externally certified to ISO 14001 since 13 January 2004, covering 85 sites and 5,262 staff. The Health and Safety Executive, an executive agency for which the Department has responsibility, has an Environmental Management System certified to ISO 14001 that covers 38 sites.
	The Department will continue to operate its Environmental Management Systems in line with the new sustainable operations targets that were launched on 12 June 2006.

Ethnic Minority Outreach

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of  (a) provider and  (b) Job Centre Plus-led ethnic minority outreach activities in Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 23 May 2006
	The Ethnic Minority Outreach (EMO) programme is delivered by private or voluntary and community sector providers on behalf of Jobcentre Plus. It is not, therefore, possible to assess the merits of Jobcentre Plus-led ethnic minority outreach activities in Liverpool, or elsewhere. We have, however, evaluated the programme nationally to assess the merits of voluntary/community sector-led EMO. These included:
	success in engaging with ethnic minorities who otherwise may make little use of mainstream Jobcentre Plus services and in helping them into employment;
	close links with the ethnic minority communities they are attempting to help;
	specialist knowledge of the employment issues faced by people from ethnic minorities.
	a highly personalised service and intense level of support;
	working in ways which respected cultural sensitivities; and
	provision available in the places where ethnic minority communities lived and socialised and in non-threatening and user-friendly venues.

Fuel Direct

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful applications there were to each energy supplier for Fuel Direct for  (a) gas and  (b) electricity in (i) each region of England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales in the last full year for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. A breakdown by supplier is not available. Information for the number of instances where Fuel Direct deductions were being made from income support, jobseeker's allowance or pension credit claimants in each quarter during 2005 have been placed in the Library.

Household Incomes

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the  (a) median and  (b) mean household income was in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Jim Murphy: The data source does not allow us to provide robust income estimates below a regional level. Therefore we do not produce information for individual London boroughs.
	Information is presented in the table for London as a whole. This is consistent with the latest publication of the 'Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05'.
	The data are from Households Below Average Income (HBAI). The main source for HBAI is the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
	
		
			  Money values for the median and mean of household income distribution in average 2004-05 prices: London 
			   per week equivalised  1998-99 to 2000-01  1999-2000 to 2001-02  2000-01 to 2002-03  2001-02 to 2003-04  2002-03 to 2004-05 
			  Before housing costs  
			 Median 352 368 383 389 387 
			 Mean 475 507 528 532 527 
			   
			  After housing costs  
			 Median 278 294 307 315 314 
			 Mean 385 416 439 443 443 
			  Note: Figures are provided using three-year moving averages, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year on year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time.  Source: Family Resources Survey

Housing Benefits

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of housing benefit claimants with non-dependant deductions who are (i) elderly and (ii) disabled.

James Plaskitt: The most recent available information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Housing benefit households with non-dependant deductions by client type: Great Britain: May 2004 
			   Number  Proportion of client type (Percentage) 
			 Aged 60+ and disabled (1) (1) 
			 Aged 60+ and not disabled 59,000 3.8 
			 Aged under 60 and disabled 27,000 3.1 
			 (1) Denotes nil or negligible.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. Figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. HB figures exclude any extended payment cases. 4. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 5 disabled means one of the disability premiums has been awarded.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004.

Housing Benefits

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has commissioned to establish whether changes have occurred in the level of the shared room rate available to under 25 year olds in the local housing allowance Pathfinder areas.

James Plaskitt: The Department has commissioned a comprehensive and independent evaluation of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Pathfinders that will include consideration of any changes in the LHA rates in the Pathfinder areas over the two year Pathfinder period. This includes an assessment of the LHA shared room rate.
	Four interim evaluation reports have already been published and copies are available in the Library. The final evaluation reports are expected to be published between the autumn of this year and spring of next year.

Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 235W, on pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice he has received attributing 60 million of this increase in the Pension Protection Fund levy to changes in the level of schemes' assets, together with the effect of changes to the relevant market interest rates on the liabilities and 220 million to changes in the mortality assumptions which reflected similar changes to the assumptions used by insurance companies when setting buy-out terms, together with the detail of the assumptions, including mortality tables and interest rates, used in making that attribution.

James Purnell: There has been no increase in the PPF levy estimate. We cannot provide all the details requested on the increase in the estimate produced by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD). I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 2 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1528-529W, which set out the difficulties of doing so. However, a summary of the GAD update will be placed in the Library shortly.

Pensions

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to fully compensate, with index-linking, all former Allied Steel and Wire workers who lost occupational pension savings; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The estimated cost of compensating all ASW scheme members in full is 250450 million in cash terms and 120210 million in net present value, based on limited information on the ASW scheme

Personal Capability Assessment

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Department proposes to pilot the proposed new Personal Capability Assessment referred to in the Green Paper A new deal for welfare; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: We will not use formal 'piloting' powers for the revised PCA. However, we are committed to testing the new regime by running it in parallel with the current assessment to compare outcomeswe are calling this 'dummy runs' of the revised PCA using live assessments. This will play no part in deciding entitlement to incapacity benefit, but will allow us to test the new assessment and make any subsequently required adjustments.

Retirement

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assumptions were made about the employment rate for  (a) men and women between the ages of 20 and 64,  (b) men and women between the ages of 20 and 68 and  (c) the state pension age in (i) 2010, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2030, (iv) 2040 and (v) 2050 in calculating the old-age dependency ratio for the chart on page nine of the pension White Paper, Security in Retirement.

James Purnell: The chart on page nine of the pensions White Paper: Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system does not make assumptions about the employment rate or changes in state pension age.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were found guilty of  (a) drunken and disorderly behaviour and  (b) drunken and aggravated disorderly behaviour in (i) England, (ii) Peterborough constituency and (iii) the Peterborough city council area in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of offenders found guilty for drunkenness with aggravation (which includes drunk and disorderly) in England, and Peterborough Local Justice Area, 19972004 are given in the following table. It is not possible to identify those convicted in Peterborough constituency, or Peterborough city council, as the data are not collected at this level of detail. Court statistics for 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.
	In addition to this, the penalty notice for disorder scheme was brought into effect in all police forces in England and Wales during 2004. Under the scheme the police are able to issue persons committing specified minor offences with a fixed penalty notice. No admission of guilt is required and payment of the penalty discharges all liability for the offence. In 2004 25,591 penalty notices were issued in England for the offence of being drunk and disorderly. Provisional data for 2005 show that 34,238 penalty notices were issued in England for this offence. It is not possible to identify the number of penalty notices issued in Peterborough as centrally held data are not collected at that level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences relating to drunkenness in England 1997 to 2004( 1,2) 
			   Drunkenness with aggravation( 4) 
			 1997 22,474 
			 1998 23,864 
			 1999 22,764 
			 2000(3) 22,078 
			 2001 21,468 
			 2002 22,741 
			 2003 23,893 
			 2004 17,550 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces and other agencies. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
			 (3 )Staffordshire police force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this high level of analysis. (4 )Includes the offence of drunk and disorderly [Criminal Justice Act 1967 s4c.91] and other miscellaneous offences of drunkenness with aggravations.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in  (a) Stoke-on-Trent and  (b) England.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 17 July 2006
	The number of ASBOs, as reported to the Home Office by the court service, where restrictions are imposed in the local authority area of Stoke-on-Trent city council, from 1 June 2000 to 30 September 2005 (latest available) is 54. The number issued in England during the same period is 6,922.

Appointments Booking System

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the Appointments Booking System software has been modified to prevent counter officers by-passing the normal process; whether override audit trails are maintained and checked; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: I am advised that the Appointments Booking System software was upgraded on 6 April. The software has been specifically designed to prevent staff from overriding the system without management approval. An audit trail is maintained and is checked on a daily basis.

Asylum/Immigration

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the  (a) opposition to and  (b) potential impact of the extension of the voucher system for asylum seekers.

Liam Byrne: Vouchers are used to support failed asylum seekers under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 who would otherwise be destitute and for whom there is a temporary barrier to leaving the UK.
	Officials, through the NASS Forum, National Consulting Group and Voluntary Sector Chief Executives' group have discussed impacts. These have been considered carefully and taken into account. The Commons Clearance of Lords' Amendments stage of the Bill also provided an opportunity to debate their use.
	This is a rightly limited form of support, which should not act as an incentive for asylum seekers to remain in the UK once they have exhausted their appeal rights.
	Section 43(7) of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 does not extend the voucher system, but ensures flexibility to meet additional needs of those supported under section 4. This is a new provision which should be welcomed.
	My hon. Friend the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety (Mr. McNulty) asked officials to review longer term impacts, which they are currently in the process of doing with interested parties.

Asylum/Immigration

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the use of luncheon vouchers for the purposes of support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; how many such vouchers were issued to residents of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in each of the last four quarters of 2005-06; and what the total value was of the vouchers so issued.

Liam Byrne: Where support under section 4 is provided in self-catering accommodation, vouchers to the value of 35 per week are issued to purchase food and essential toiletries. The type of voucher issued is not a matter of policy. The vouchers issued by accommodation providers are primarily luncheon vouchers, supermarket payment cards and supermarket vouchers.
	Information on the number and types of voucher issued is not recorded centrally.

Asylum/Immigration

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have been given indefinite leave to remain in  (a) the past 12 months and  (b) the past five years have served a prison sentence in the UK while waiting for a decision on their application to stay in the UK.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally and would require an examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Asylum/Immigration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have spent time in detention have been granted temporary release in each of the last five calendar years.

Liam Byrne: This information is not available.

Asylum/Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 71W, on asylum/immigration, how many of the applicants had their last known address in Northamptonshire.

Liam Byrne: 16 had their last recorded address in Northamptonshire.

Asylum/Immigration

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 282W, on asylum/immigration, what definition his Department uses of a particularly serious crime.

Liam Byrne: Article 33(2) of the Refugee Convention allows an asylum seeker or recognised refugee to be removed even if they have a well-founded fear of persecution, where they represent a threat to national security, or where, having been convicted of a particularly serious crime, they constitute a danger to the community.
	Section 72 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provides an interpretation of Article 33(2) of the 1951 Convention and defines the term 'particularly serious crime' for the purposes of Article 33(2) as one for which the person concerned has received a sentence of imprisonment of at least two years, or has been convicted of an offence specified by order of the Secretary of State, whatever the length of sentence imposed. An automatic presumption is made, which is rebuttable, that such a person poses a danger to the community.

Asylum/Immigration

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1666-68W, on asylum/immigration, how many individuals were held in each immigration holding, reception and removal centre in each year since 2004-05.

Liam Byrne: Quarterly snapshots are published by the Immigration Nationality Directorate's (IND's) Research, Development and Statistics (RDS) Directorate in the quarterly asylum statistics bulletin showing the number of people detained on the last Saturday of each quarter under Immigration Act powers in immigration removal centres.

Citizenship

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a mother can require a DNA test to be undertaken to prove the paternity of her child in relation to citizenship.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 July 2006
	There are no powers in the nationality legislation to this effect.

Citizenship

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a British father is required to supply his details to enable his child to be registered as a British citizen where the mother wishes this to happen.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 July 2006
	Where an application for citizenship is based on a parent's nationality or immigration status, the Home Secretary has to be satisfied on a balance of probabilities about the child's parentage and that the relevant parent has the appropriate status. In some cases there is also a statutory requirement, or an expectation, that both parents will indicate their consent to the child being registered as a British citizen. There is no power under nationality legislation, however, for the Home Secretary or one parent to compel the provision of certain information or consent by the other.

Correspondence

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sherwood dated 28 April about the immigration status of Josephine Mundirwa.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 3 July 2006
	I replied to my hon. Friend on 11 July 2006.

Correspondence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State for Immigration will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Woking of 28 June 2006 concerning a constituent, Mr. C. Imran Ali (Home Office Ref: H/65545/98/PR).

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member on 13 July 2006.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 6 June 2006 from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on behalf of Mohammed Kashif Zahoor (Home Office reference Z1040405, acknowledgement reference B14821/6).

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood on 3 July 2006.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 31 May from the hon. Member for Walsall, North regarding a constituent, reference M13279/6.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 July 2006
	I wrote to my hon. Friend on 11 July 2006.

Custodial Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of education was for children and young adults in custody in each of the last 30 years; what proportion of the total cost of their detention was represented by spending on their education in each such year; and what was the per capita spending on education in each such year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Custody

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the merits of establishing a public inquiry into  (a) the deaths of children in custody and  (b) the role of sentencing policy in such cases; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Any death of a child or young person in custody is thoroughly investigated. (Fortunately such deaths are comparatively rare.) The main form of public inquiry into any death is the inquest. Developments in case law in recent years have greatly extended the scope of inquests into deaths in custody, so that they can now inquire into a wide range of possible contributory factors (although sentencing policy will rarely, if ever, be a directly contributory factor to a death in an individual case). In addition, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman conducts his own independent inquiry into any death of a young person in a young offender institution or a secure training centre; and the Local Safeguarding Children's Board is likely to commission a serious case review under Part 8 of the joint Department for Education and Skills/Home Office/Department of Health guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999). Many of the young people who become involved in serious or persistent offending are at risk of self-harm, whether or not they are in custody. It is not possible to quantify how many young people's health, including mental health, has been positively assisted by care received while in custody. There is no reason to believe that sentencing policy is increasing the rate of mortality of young people under 18.

Departmental Staff

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals work for his Department in the UK.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office, which includes the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and the Prison Service but not its other Agencies, is currently employing one foreign national under the terms of the 1955 Aliens' Employment Act.

Departmental Staff

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff changes there have been in the private offices of Departmental Ministers of State in each year since 1999.

Liam Byrne: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 732-34W, on departmental staff, how many staff in his Department have had two or more periods of sick leave of less than five days in two or more of the years for which he has provided figures.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that the number of staff in his Department that have had two or more periods of sick leave of less than five days in two or more years are show in the following table.
	
		
			  Staff who have taken two or more periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last three years 
			   Number of staff 
			  Home Office (including Immigration and Nationality Directorate)( 1)  
			 2002-03 5,515 
			 2003-04 7,180 
			 2005-06 6,113 
			   
			  Identity and Passport Service( 2)  
			 2003-04 1,438 
			 2004-05 1,389 
			 2005-06 1,463 
			   
			  HM Prison Service( 3)  
			 2003-04 10,756 
			 2004-05 9,950 
			 2005-06 9,438 
			 (1) Data are provided on the basis of staff having on average* two or more days per spell of sickness. The figures for 2002-03 and 2003-04 are based on calendar days, those for 2005-06 on working days. (2) IPS figures show periods of less than five working days. (3) HMPS figures show periods of less than five calendar days. * 'On average' indicates a spell which includes staff who had a mean average of two days sick and not just two or more days in (each and every) spell of sickness in the period provided.  Note: Because the material needed to be provided from archived reports run across the periods concerned on a particular basis (that of average values across the period) it was not possible to answer the question in the more precise form without disproportionate cost, in the time scale available.

Deportations

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues to staff escorting deported foreign nationals back to their country of origin on the way in which these deportees are  (a) handled and  (b) treated; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Staff escorting deported foreign nationals back to their country of origin are certificated Detainee Custody Officers, who are fully trained in the appropriate handling and treatment of those detainees in their care.
	The conduct of the escorts is governed by the contractor's own operating procedures. These are approved by the Contract Monitor, a Crown Servant, who closely reviews the contractor's performance.

Deportations

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign criminals undergoing consideration for deportation require a translator; and at what cost.

Liam Byrne: The information as requested in each answer is not currently available in the format requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EU Legislation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what EU legislation the UK has opted  (a) out of and  (b) into in the areas of (i) asylum, (ii) legal migration, (iii) visa and border controls and (iv) civil law under the rules governing Title IV of the Treaty establishing the European Community.

Liam Byrne: For legislation opted into in the areas of asylum and immigration, I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my right hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Des Browne) gave to the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory), on 7 March, 2005,  Official Report, column 1596W, and to the answer that my right hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire, South (Mr. Alexander) gave to the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 1 December 2005,  Official Report, column 737W.
	Since 1 December 2005 the UK has opted into the following two measures in asylum: a recommendation for a council decision authorising the Commission to negotiate a readmission agreement between the European Community and Russia; and a proposal by the Council establishing a Mutual Information Procedure. The UK has not opted into the following proposals in the area of Civil Law: proposal for a Council Regulation on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations; and a proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations.
	There has been no legislation to decide to opt into since 1 December 2005 in legal immigration or visa and border controls.

Failed Asylum Seekers

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those local authorities who have withdrawn support and accommodation from failed asylum seeker families in addition to those councils piloting implementation of section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration Act (Treatment of Claimants etc.) 2004.

Liam Byrne: Support may have been withdrawn by local authorities supporting families under the Interim Provisions where the authority identified that a family had been granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) under the Family ILR concession or had otherwise been granted leave to remain; mainstream support is available in such cases. There have been no withdrawals of asylum support under section 9 since December 2005 when the pilot commenced its evaluation phase.

Foreign Criminals

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many foreign national offenders there were in UK prisons in each year since 1997; and what percentage this represents of the total prison population;
	(2)  how many offenders whose nationality is unknown are in UK prisons; and how many offenders whose nationality was unknown there were in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2002,  (c) 2003,  (d) 2004 and  (e) 2005;
	(3)  how many foreign national offenders there are in UK prisons; what their country of origin is; and for what offences they are imprisoned.

John Reid: Information on the population in prison establishments by nationality is published in annual and quarterly Home Office statistical publications. The figures have been drawn from the prisons administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	Information on the number of foreign nationals and those with nationality not recorded, for the years 2001 to 2005, held in prison establishments in England and Wales is given in table 8.4 and 8.4a of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004.
	Information on the nationality of foreign nationals held in prison establishments in England and Wales is given in table 2.14 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics Quarterly Brief October to December 2005.
	The number of sentenced foreign nationals in prison establishments in England and Wales for each offence group is given in table 8.29 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004.
	Information from these tables is given as follows.
	Information on Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for my colleagues in the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office.
	
		
			  Population in prison establishments( 1)  by nationality, England and Wales as at 30 June each year 
			  Number of persons 
			   2001  2002  2003( 2)  2004  2005( 3)  2006( 4) 
			  Males and females   
			 All nationalities 66,403 71,218 72,286 74,488 76,190 77,677 
			
			 British nationals 58,732 62,553 62,417 64,379 65,670 65,907 
			
			 Foreign nationals 6,926 7,719 8,728 8,941 9,651 10,834 
			 Percentage of total population 10 11 12 12 13 14 
			
			 Unrecorded nationality(5) 745 946 1,142 1,168 869 936 
			 (1) Excludes police cells. Includes Immigration Removal Centres at Dover, Haslar and Lindholme managed by the Prison Service on behalf of IND. Includes remand, sentenced and non criminals. (2) As at 28 February 2003. (3) Further quality assurance of the population data was undertaken in 2005 resulting in revised figures from June 2005 onwards. This has affected the statistics on nationality. The number with unrecorded nationality has decreased by 400, the number of British nationals has increased by 300 and the number of foreign nationals has increased by 100 from previously published figures. (4) As at 31 May 2006. (5) 0.3 per cent. of the immediate custodial sentenced population has an unrecorded nationality.  Sources: The figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last whole number as shown here.

Foreign Criminals

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign prisoners who have served custodial sentences and who have been recommended for deportation were held in immigration detention centres on 20 June 2006.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate does not collate information in the format requested and it could only be produced in the format requested at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to advise the hon. Member that 469 former prisoners who had completed their sentence were detained in immigration detentions centres, pending deportation, on 17 June 2006. This figure rose to 497 on 24 June 2006.

Foreign Students

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a sponsors register for academic institutions to allow foreign students to come to the UK to study.

Liam Byrne: We intend to introduce a register of sponsors for academic institutions as part of Tier 4 of the Points-Based System for Managed Migration.

HM Prison Service

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of senior operational managers in HM Prison Service in each area achieved an exceed rating on their staff performance and development record in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows information from the Corporate Database on the proportion of performance levels recorded as exceeded for senior operational managers in each year from 2001-02 to 2004-05. Comprehensive information on performance levels for 2005-06 is not yet available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Performance levels recorded for senior operational managers 
			  Percentage 
			  Area  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 High Security Prisons 61 71 79 78 
			 East Midlands 75 61 65 56 
			 Eastern 47 14 33 58 
			 Kent 36 45 56 47 
			 London 86 58 50 67 
			 North East 91 50 44 38 
			 North West 77 44 57 70 
			 South West 64 57 87 72 
			 Surrey and Sussex 40 43 63 50 
			 Thames Valley and Hampshire 64 77 52 50 
			 Wales 67 80 50 57 
			 West Midlands 36 63 56 71 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 86 77 83 78 
			 HQ 54 52 56 43 
			 Total 60 56 59 56 
			  Note: Senior operational managers are senior manager grades A to D. Percentages are calculated as proportion of all recorded SPDR markings for those grades. Where no marking is recorded the data are omitted.

Identity Checks (Licensed Premises)

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the risk of identity theft when identity is requested and taken by door staff at licensed premises; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: No assessment has been made of this specific risk. However, since 11 April 2005 all door supervisors working on licensed premises have been required to be licensed by the Security Industry Authority. This requires them to undertake training and a criminality check from the Criminal Records Bureau. If an applicant is found guilty of identity theft it is highly likely that he will be refused a licence. If a licensed door supervisor is subsequently found guilty of identity theft then it is also highly likely that his licence will be revoked.

Illegal Immigrants

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been employed on Home Office premises in each of the last five years.

John Reid: I am advised that of such records that are held locally, two members of staff were detected as not having valid leave to remain in the United Kingdom at the time of their employment. One in 2004, and one in 2005.
	In addition, 12 contracted workers have been identified as having worked on Home Office premises illegally: eight this year, two in 2005, one in 2004 and one in 2002.

Illegal Immigrants

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of foreign-born prisoners who  (a) entered and  (b) remained in the UK illegally.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate does not currently record the information requested. The provision of this information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners who  (a) entered and  (b) remained in the UK illegally have been recommended for deportation on completion of their sentences.

Liam Byrne: The provision of this information could only be obtained through review of individual case files and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department provides to police forces on processing illegal immigrants when an Immigration Service official is unable to attend; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Police will be provided with advice by the relevant local enforcement office in the event that resources do not permit attendance in person by an Immigration Service official.

Illegal Immigrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the past 12 months his Department has received information pertaining to illegal residency in the UK; and on how many occasions such information led to a deportation.

Liam Byrne: Data on the number of separate pieces of information about illegal residency received by the Home Office are not currently recorded centrally and therefore not available.

Immigration (EEA) Regulations

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the ways in which the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006  (a) impact on the deportation of (i) European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and (ii) members of EEA nationals' extended families and  (b) change the relevant processes in place previously.

Liam Byrne: EEA nationals and their family members may be deported if their removal is justified on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health. The principles to be applied to such deportation cases are set out in regulation 21 of the 2006 Regulations. The deportation provisions in the 2006 Regulations will only apply to an extended family member of an EEA national if the United Kingdom has issued entry or residence documentation to the extended family member under the Regulations.
	The deportation provisions in the 2006 Regulations are in most respects similar to those in the previous Regulations but introduce different tests for deportation where EEA nationals and their family members have acquired permanent residence in the UK or where an EEA national has resided in the UK for at least 10 years or is under 18. The 2006 Regulations also update the list of diseases relevant to deportation decisions taken on public health grounds and provide some opportunity for a person to leave voluntarily when facing deportation.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many case files have been lost by the Immigration and Nationality Department  (a) temporarily and  (b) permanently in each of the past five years.

Liam Byrne: The information is not available in the format requested.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there are at the Immigration and Nationality Department.

Liam Byrne: There are currently 427 (2.4 per cent.) posts in the Immigration and Nationality Department that are vacant, according to the figures reported on the computerised resource reporting system called Adelphi.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will lead the inquiry into the allegations made in  The Observer on 21 May regarding malpractice in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate; when the inquiry will report; if the report will be published; what the terms of reference are; from whom the inquiry will take evidence; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: An internal disciplinary investigation has taken place, as a result of which a member of IND staff has been dismissed. A criminal investigation continues.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate compiled an action plan to take forward the recommendations made by Mr. Gbedemah; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

John Reid: I am advised that an action plan was initiated immediately upon the publication of Mr. Gbedemah's report. The action plan is an internal working document and as such it would not be appropriate to place it in the public domain.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what disciplinary action he has taken against officials in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate following Mr. Gbedemah's report.

John Reid: I am advised that 13 separate disciplinary investigations were commissioned following Mr. Gbedemah's report. Disciplinary action has been completed in respect of seven members of staff and is ongoing in respect of the remaining six.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people referred to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate by the Department for Work and Pensions for having suspect immigration documents in  (a) the last six months,  (b) the last 12 months and  (c) each of the last five years have been (i) investigated and (ii) prosecuted.

John Reid: This information could be obtained only by individually searching IND databases for the outcome of each referral received, which would have significant resource implications.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department plans to reduce the charges for leave to remain applications once the deficit identified by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate associated with the processing of chargeable applications during 2003-04 and 2004-05 has been recovered.

John Reid: The fees for leave to remain are set to recover the full costs of the leave to remain service. These include not only the recovery of past deficits but also the direct and indirect costs associated with processing the application, including overheads and appeal costs. Our fees are set at a level appropriate for the costs of managing the service in an area of fluctuating volumes and we will continue to review this in the future.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what point he expects the deficit identified by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate which occurred in processing chargeable applications for leave to remain during 2003-04 and 2004-05 to have been recovered as a result of increases to leave to remain fees from 1 April 2005.

John Reid: Deficits identified by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate are being recovered through the fee for leave to remain in 2005-06. The accounts for the financial year 2005-06 are still being finalised and are yet to be audited by the National Audit Office. Until these accounts have been finalised I am unable to state whether the deficits referred to have been recovered.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total running costs were of the Department that handles further leave to remain charges within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in each year since their introduction.

John Reid: The published resource accounts for the fiscal year 2003-04 show that full costs of service provision for leave to remain applications totalled 44.985 million.
	The published resource accounts for the fiscal year 2004-05 show that full costs of service provision for leave to remain applications totalled 74.588 million.
	The resource accounts for the financial year 2005-06 are still being finalised and are yet to be audited by the National Audit Office.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was raised through further leave to remain charges in each year since their introduction.

John Reid: The resource accounts for the fiscal year 2003-04 show that 44.157 million were received as income from leave to remain charges.
	The resource accounts for the fiscal year 2004-05 show income of 60.927 million in respect of fee income from leave to remain charges.
	The resource accounts for the financial year 2005-06 are still being finalised and are yet to be audited by the National Audit Office.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which projects external consultants were hired for work for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in the last financial year; who the consultants were in each case; and how much was paid in each case.

John Reid: Detailed information in the format requested is not available centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In 2005-06 a total of 20.1 million (subject to audit) was spent by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate on all external professional services, including consultancy support for projects.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid to external consultants for work for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in each year since 1997.

John Reid: I am advised that IND's expenditure on all external professional services comprising payments made to management, IT and accommodation consultants in the last three years was as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			   Payments to external consultants 
			 2005-06(1) 20.1 
			 2004-05 17.7 
			 2003-04 32.7 
			 (1) Provisional figures, subject to audit. 
		
	
	Figures for earlier years are not available on a comparable basis.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent guidance he has issued to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Security and Anti-Corruption Unit on developing a more proactive strategy for combating fraud and corruption.

John Reid: One of the recommendations in Tim Gbedemah's report on the investigation into the Public Enquiry Office (PEO) in Croydon was that the IND should consider giving its Security and Anti- Corruption Unit (SACU) sole responsibility for investigating allegations of corruption across the whole of IND and tasking the unit with developing a more proactive strategy for combating fraud and corruption. Ministers accepted all of the recommendations in the report.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Security and Anti-Corruption Unit is responsible for investigating allegations of corruption across the whole of the IND; and when it was given this role.

John Reid: IND's Security and Anti-Corruption Unit was given sole responsibility for investigating allegations of corruption made against all IND staff on 1 April 2006.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed in the Immigration and Nationality Directive at  (a) senior management and  (b) junior management level.

John Reid: I am advised that IND records show the number of people employed by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in senior, middle and junior management grades are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   FTE  Headcount 
			  Junior Manager   
			 Immigration Officer 3,439 3,562 
			 Executive Officer 2,683 2,831 
			 Higher Executive Officer 1,542 1,606 
			 Chief Immigration Officer 813 847 
			 Total 8,477 8,846 
			
			  Middle Manager   
			 Senior Executive Officer 616 641 
			 Grade 7 374 387 
			 Grade 6 98 99 
			 Immigration Inspector  212 
			 Total 1,300 1,347 
			
			  Senior Manager   
			 Senior Civil Servant 45 45 
			 Total 45 45

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees from an ethnic minority the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has, broken down by category of staff.

John Reid: The information requested is presented in the following table. The collection of diversity data is intended to enable IND to monitor the effectiveness of its HR policies and processes. The provision of such data by employees is voluntary and information is held currently for just under 60 per cent. of our staff. Specific activities are under way to increase this figure to help ensure robust monitoring.
	
		
			  Ethnic minority staff employed in IND by gradenumber  and percentage 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 SCS 0 0 
			 G6/G7 27 8.08 
			 SEO 69 15.40 
			 HEO 234 22.12 
			 EO 624 33.58 
			 HMI 16 10.74 
			 CIO 68 12.78 
			 IO 453 23.72 
			 AO 717 36.60 
			 AIO 147 41.18 
			 AA 278 39.15 
			 Other 96 33.90 
		
	
	
		
			  Total ethnic minority staff employed in INDnumber  and percentage 
			 Total number of ethnic minority staff 2,729 
			 Total as percentage of IND staff 28.25 
			  Notes: 1. The figures are based on a 59.79 per cent. data set. We are taking active steps to improve these data; one Directorate specific manual exercise has been undertaken recently, these data returns will be reflected in the June 2006 figures and a small self-service electronic pilot exercise will be completed by September 2006 for inclusion in that quarter's figures. 2. The category other includes research officers and librarians.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers employed by his Department were born outside the UK, broken down by country of origin.

John Reid: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Immigration Cases

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State responsible for immigration matters will respond to the representations of the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Matthew Pretorius, on permanent settlement status.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 10 July 2006.

Juvenile Custody

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff were employed in the  (a) private and  (b) public sector in the care of vulnerable and at-risk children and young adults in custody in each of the last 20 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

London Bombings

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value was of each payment which  (a) has been made and  (b) is planned by the Government to (i) survivors and (ii) families of those affected by the London bombings on 7 July 2005; and to whom each payment was made.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) are confidential as between the claimant and the Authority and no details of a claim can be released to any third party without the consent of the claimant.
	CICA are, however, able to provide some details of claims lodged and payments made provided this does not enable individual claimants to be identified.
	On this basis, information about numbers of final awards offered and accepted up to 30 June is given in the following table. This shows the tariff level for the main injury suffered.
	Some of the award recipients may have received compensation over and above the tariff level indicated because they received tariff compensation for a second or third injury under the serious multiple injury formula, and/or additional compensation for loss of earnings and special expenses.
	A number of substantial interim awards have also been made to seriously injured victims where the final prognosis for recovery is unclear and where CICA still have to make a final assessment of a claim for financial loss.
	Many victims will also have received substantial payments from the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, to which the Government donated a further 2.5 million in June 2006. Payments from the Fund, in the form of charitable grants, are made at the discretion of the Fund's trustees.
	
		
			  London BombingsFinal awards offered and accepted  (to 30 June 2006) 
			  Tariff band/level  Tariff amount ()  Number of final awards offered and accepted 
			 1 1,000 79 
			 2 1,250 11 
			 3 1,500 3 
			 4 1,750 4 
			 5 2,000 4 
			 6 2,500 10 
			 7 3,300 5 
			 8 3,800 6 
			 9 4,400 27 
			 10 5,500 49 
			 12 8,200 13 
			 13 11,000 2 
			 15 16,500 3 
			 17 22,000 1 
			 Total  217

Manor Lodge, Berkshire

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders living at Manor Lodge Approved Premises, Old Windsor, Berkshire are sex offenders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 13 July 2006
	As I have previously advised the hon. Member, the number of sex offenders accommodated at any one time in any approved premises, (formerly bail and probation hostels) varies. Statistical information about the type of offences committed by offenders residing at an approved premises at any one time is not collected centrally.

National Asylum Support Service

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens from each of the countries which joined the EU in May 2004 are being supported by the National Asylum Support Service.

John Reid: I am advised that the information available is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Number of asylum seekers (including dependants) supported by NASS from countries that joined the EU in May 2004 as at the end of March 2006 
			  Nationality  Subsistence only  In dispersed accommodation  Total 
			 Cyprus
			 Estonia
			 Hungary
			 Latvia *  * 
			 Lithuania  5 5 
			 Malta
			 Poland 5  5 
			 Slovakia
			 Slovenia
			 Czech Republic  10 10 
			 Total 10 10 20 
			 '*'= 1 or 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum due to rounding. 
		
	
	NASS provides this support only to EU nationals who are, or have been, asylum seekers, whose claim is either outstanding or their circumstances are such that they are at present neither able to work nor to return home.

New Criminal Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since April 2005, broken down by Act.

John Reid: Home Office legislation since 1 April 2005 contains 50 criminal offences, tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Act  Number 
			 Drugs Act 2005 2 
			 Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 26 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006 6 
			 Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 6 
			 Terrorism Act 2006 8 
			 Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 2

Non-custodial Sentences

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 880-82W, on non-custodial sentences, for what reasons reparation is not included in orders other than the action plan order and the reparation order.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The table referred to in my answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 880-82W, gave general descriptions of the community sentences available for dealing with young offenders. Reparation, victim awareness and repairing the harm caused by offending are common threads running throughout the community sentencing framework. In practice all community orders offer the sentencer the flexibility to attach elements of reparation either within the order itself or in combination with another order.

Passports (Secure Storage)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent instructions he has issued to ensure that  (a) passports and  (b) other key documents are never left unsupervised and are always held in secure storage.

John Reid: Instructions were issued to all asylum staff in February of this year in relation to retaining documents. The relevant instruction is APN 02/2006 and can be found on the IND external website.

Police Stations

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many holding cells there are in police stations in each London borough; and how many of these cells are closed for refurbishment.

Tony McNulty: The provision and closure of cells are operational matters for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police, the Metropolitan Police Authority and the City of London.

Prisons

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who have been released on licence from each prison on the Isle of Wight are no longer in touch with the authorities monitoring their whereabouts.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 4 May 2006
	The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.
	All offenders released on licence are subject to six standard licence conditions: three of which require them to 'keep in touch with your supervising officer', 'permanently to reside at an address approved by your supervising officer' and 'notify him or her in advance of any proposed change of address or proposed stay (even for one night) away from that approved address'. In the event that any such licence conditions are breached, the offender is liable to be recalled to prison upon the recommendation of the probation officer in order to protect the public. Once the licence is revoked and the offender recalled, the police are notified, in order to ensure a swift return to custody.

Prisons

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new places in  (a) closed prisons and  (b) young offender institutions his Department is planning to bring onstream during the 2006-07 financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: 300 additional places in closed adult male establishments are planned for delivery in 2006-07 under the National Offender Management Service building programme.
	In addition, the Youth Justice Board has commissioned and funded a 14-place juvenile unit at Her Majesty's prison Foston Hall which will shortly be available for use.

Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign prisoners are detained in open prisons.

John Reid: Towards the end of May 2006 there were around 300 prisoners in open prisons in England and Wales with a foreign nationality. The figures have been drawn from the prisons' administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	Foreign nationals are subject to the same risk assessment process as any other prisoner before allocation to open conditions. The overriding purpose of the security classification must be to ensure that prisoners are retained in custody with a level of security that is consistent with the need to protect the public. Following a review of the criteria for the categorisation of foreign national prisoners and their allocation to open conditions in May 2006, the Prison Service concluded that no changes were required of the policy. However, Governors have been instructed to take into account the impact of recent public statements regarding the likelihood of deportation on the risk of absconding when considering foreign national prisoners for Category D status and allocation to open conditions.
	All life-sentenced foreign nationals and those sentenced for serious offences were returned from open conditions to closed during May and have been subject to an individual risk assessment in consultation with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate before a final decision as to whether or not they are suitable to return to open conditions.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 819W, on prisons, what category of offences had been committed by each of the non-foreign national prisoners who absconded from Ford prison in 2006; what the term of the prison sentence was in each case; on what date each escaped; and whether the prisoner remains at large in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The detailed information requested may be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. However, I can advise that, as at 18 July, only two of the non-foreign national prisoners who absconded from Ford open prison in 2006 remain unlawfully at large.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1623W, to the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk (Mr. Bellingham) on prisons, when the report on reconviction analysis being conducted by the Research, Development and Statistics Unit will be published.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The report will be published on the RDS website (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/onlinepubs1.html) by the end of 2006.

Prisons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is per person per day for meals for prison inmates.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no set budget for prisoner meals. Governors have the freedom to decide what proportion of the budget allocated to them should be spent on food for prisoners. For 2004-05, the latest period for which data is available, the average public sector Prison Service daily food cost was 1.87.

Private Security Industry Act

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department made of the number of people that might request each type of licence under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 prior to the start of applications.

Vernon Coaker: As stated in the Government's White Paper (Proposals for Regulation of the Private Security Industry in England and Wales, CM 4254) in March 1999, accurate statistics on the size of the private security industry have always been difficult to obtain. The most recent estimate contained in the White Paper was that in 1994 there were 162,000 licensable people, based on research by the Policy Studies Institute.
	In their 2004-05 business plan the Security Industry Authority (SIA) estimated that the total licensable population was just over 221,000. The SIA has continued to update its estimates in the light of operational experience and the current estimate is that about 183,000 individuals require a licence. The majority of this change is due to the revision of the estimated size of the door supervisor sector. A breakdown of these figures by each type of licence is in the following table.
	
		
			  Sector  2004-05 business plan estimates  Latest estimate 
			 Door supervisors 95,000 62,000 
			 Security guards 125,000 120,000 
			 Vehicle immobilisers 1,200 1,200 
			 Total 221,200 183,200

Probation Service

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be in a position to introduce legislation to reform the probation service.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We set out our plans for the probation service in Working with probation to protect the public and reduce re-offending which was published on 30 March. We will introduce the necessary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Public Enquiry Office

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent instructions he has issued for CCTV coverage of the Public Enquiry Office counter to be improved.

John Reid: The recommendation has been accepted and consideration of implementation is ongoing.

Public Enquiry Office

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken since the publication of the report on investigations into allegations about the Public Enquiry Office in Croydon to find out the views of asylum applicants on the allegations made by Mr. Pamnani.

John Reid: The recommendation has been accepted and consideration of implementation is ongoing.

Public Enquiry Office

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issued to Mr. Tim Gbedemah concerning the persons from whom he should take evidence during the investigation into allegations about the Public Enquiry Office in Croydon.

John Reid: I am advised that Mr. Gbedemah's terms of reference are set out at paragraph two of his report. No specific guidance was given to Mr. Gbedemah as to whom he should and should not interview.

Public Enquiry Office

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a new code of conduct for PEO staff; when he will publish it; what  (a) training and  (b) guidance has been given to PEO staff on the new code; to what extent the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Security and Anti-Corruption Unit is delivering the training; and what guidance the code will contain on non-work related contact with applicants.

John Reid: The recent investigation into events at the PEO, carried out by David Stephens and Tim Gbedemah, made a number of recommendations, including that consideration be given to putting in place a code of conduct for PEO staff.
	This recommendation was accepted, and is currently being acted upon. We hope to have a draft code of conduct available for consultation with staff in July. The document will contain guidance on non-work related contact with applicants. The detail is currently being developed.
	IND's Security and Anti-Corruption Unit and PEO managers will jointly deliver the training to new and existing staff.

Road Accidents (Mobile Telephones)

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) deaths,  (b) serious incidents and  (c) other accidents have been caused by persons driving while using hand-held mobile telephones since 1 December 2003, broken down by police force area.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	The information available relates to factors that are judged by the police as having contributed to a road accident in which someone was injured. The table shows the number of personal injury road accidents reported to the police in 2005 that have Driver using mobile phone assigned as a contributory factor, broken down by severity, as well as the resulting fatalities. This information is not available for earlier years.
	
		
			  Fatalities in, and the number of, accidents where Driver using a mobile phone was reported as a contributory factor: 2005 
			   Fatalities  Fatal accidents  Serious accidents  Slight accidents 
			 Metropolitan police 0 0 6 47 
			 Cumbria 2 2 2 3 
			 Lancashire 1 1 1 8 
			 Merseyside 1 1 1 10 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 1 18 
			 Cheshire 0 0 1 6 
			 Northumbria 0 0 1 4 
			 Durham 0 0 0 5 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 2 4 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 4 5 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 2 3 
			 Humberside 0 0 1 8 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 2 
			 West Midlands 0 0 1 21 
			 Staffordshire 1 1 4 11 
			 West Mercia 1 1 3 8 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 1 9 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 1 6 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 4 
			 Leicestershire 1 1 0 10 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 1 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 9 
			 Norfolk 0 0 2 4 
			 Suffolk 0 0 1 2 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 4 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 7 
			 Essex 0 0 3 11 
			 Thames Valley 2 2 1 26 
			 Hampshire 0 0 1 18 
			 Surrey 0 0 1 6 
			 Kent 0 0 2 13 
			 Sussex 1 1 3 13 
			 City of London 0 0 0 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 1 0 10 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 1 0 6 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 5 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 4 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 1 3 
			 Gwent 0 0 1 2 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 5 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 4 
			 Northern 1 1 0 0 
			 Grampian 0 0 0 0 
			 Tayside 0 0 0 2 
			 Fife 0 0 1 0 
			 Lothian and Borders 0 0 0 0 
			 Central 0 0 0 0 
			 Strathclyde 0 0 2 9 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 13 13 52 364

Road Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have  (a) three,  (b) six and  (c) nine penalty points on their licences.

Vernon Coaker: The information is not collected by my Department.
	I have been advised that it is available only at disproportionate cost from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Schlumberger Sema Ltd.

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times his departmental officials have met Schlumberger Sema Ltd.

Liam Byrne: Departmental officials in the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) and Schlumberger Sema Ltd have had a series of commercial relationships since 1996.

Security Industry Authority

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the number of unregistered door supervisors and security guards operating in  (a) each English region and  (b) the Tees Valley.

Vernon Coaker: It is not possible to calculate the numbers of licensed or unlicensed security guards and door supervisors on a regional basis. The national figures for England and Wales are as follows. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) estimate that there are about 183,000 people who require a licence to work in the private security industry. As of 5 July, the SIA had accepted 162,452 complete applications, granted 119,653 licences, and refused 4,231. The remaining 38,568 applications were in the SIA's processing system. On that date there were also 213 companies with Approved Contractor status legally able to deploy about 15,450 of their staff while their licence applications were being processed.

Security Industry Authority

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of the number of people employed and working in the security industry who have not yet received a Security Industry Authority licence.

Vernon Coaker: The Security Industry Authority's (SIA's) most recent estimate is that about 183,000 individuals require a licence to work in the private security industry. As at 5 July, the SIA had accepted 162,452 complete applications, granted 119,653 licences, and refused 4,231. The remaining 38,568 applications were in the SIA's processing system. On that date there were also 213 companies with Approved Contractor status legally able to deploy about 15,450 of their staff while their licence applications were being processed.

Security Industry Authority

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Security Industry Authority in awarding licences to security personnel; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) estimate that there are about 183,000 people who require a licence to work in the private security industry. As of 5 July, the SIA had accepted 162,452 complete applications, granted 119,653 licences, and refused 4,231. The remaining 38,568 applications were in the SIA's processing system. On that date there were also 213 companies with Approved Contactor status legally able to deploy about 15,450 of their staff while their licence applications were being processed.

Security Industry Authority

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of contracted security guards that are currently working without licences.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 21 June 2006
	The Security Industry Authority's (SIA's) most recent estimate is that about 183,000 individuals require a licence to work in the private security industry. As at 5 July, the SIA had accepted 162,452 complete applications, granted 119,653 licences, and refused 4,231. The remaining 38,568 applications were in the SIA's processing system. On that date there were also 213 companies with Approved Contractor status legally able to deploy about 15,450 of their staff while their licence applications were being processed.

Security Industry Authority

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time taken to process licence applications for operatives working in the private security industry was from the date the application was submitted to the date the licence was issued, in each month since April 2005.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 21 June 2006
	The Security Industry Authority (SIA) do not calculate the average processing times for applications. Some, such as those involving overseas criminal records checks, unavoidably take a considerable time. The SIA have a published target of processing 80 per cent. of all applications within six weeks, measured from the date that a properly completed application enters the processing system to the date that a licence is issued.
	Since September 2005, there has been a backlog of applications that have been waiting to enter the system. These have added an additional time of between four and six weeks to the process, so it is now taking up to 12 weeks to process most applications.

Security Industry Authority

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the licence applications submitted by operatives working in the private security industry  (a) are currently being processed,  (b) have been granted and  (c) were returned to the applicants because they were completed incorrectly.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 21 June 2006
	On 5 July, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) had 38,568 applications in their processing system, and had granted 119,653 licences. Over the past six months, the average monthly number of incomplete applications returned to applicants has been about 2,800.

Security Industry Authority

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licence applications were held for processing by the Security Industry Authority on 1 March.

Vernon Coaker: 23,413 licence applications were held in the Security Industry Authority's processing system on 1 March 2006.

Security Industry Authority

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time taken was to process applications for Security Industry Authority licences in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 July 2006
	The Security Industry Authority (SIA) do not calculate the average processing times for applications. Some, such as those involving overseas criminal records checks, unavoidably take a considerable time. The SIA have a published target of processing 80 per cent. of all applications within six weeks, measured from the date that a properly completed application enters the processing system to the date that a licence is issued.
	Since September 2005, there has been a backlog of applications that have been waiting to enter the system. These have added an additional time of between four and six weeks to the process, so it is now taking up to 12 weeks to process most applications.

Security Industry Authority

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for Security Industry Authority licences are being processed.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 July 2006
	As of 5 July, the Security Industry Authority had 38,568 applications in its processing system.

Security Industry Authority

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to allow applicants for Security Industry Authority licences to work if the processing of their licences is delayed.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 July 2006
	Applicants who have been trained and whose applications are being processed by the Security Industry Authority can be legally deployed under the Licence Dispensation arrangements available to approved contractors. On 5 July there were approximately 15,450 people who could be legally deployed under Licence Dispensation.

Somalia

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somali nationals arriving on flights from  (a) Nairobi and  (b) Addis Ababa claimed asylum at Heathrow in 2005.

Liam Byrne: Only locally collated management information, which might be subject to change and does not represent national statistics, is available.
	In 2005, a total of 29 persons claiming to be Somali nationals arrived at Heathrow and claimed asylum, of whom 25 travelled to the United Kingdom from Nairobi and four travelled from Addis Ababa.

Staff Discipline

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in his Department  (a) have been suspended,  (b) have been dismissed and  (c) have had their responsibilities significantly changed in each of the last three months.

John Reid: The data available in respect of  (a) and  (b) are set out in the following table. Data for  (c) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  2006  Suspended  Dismissed 
			 April 4 7 
			 May 8 12 
			 June 2 3 
		
	
	Figures are as of 14 June 2006 and include staff in the central Home Office and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
	The figures for HMPS could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

Staff Misconduct

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations of staff misconduct have been  (a) received and  (b) investigated in each directorate of his Department in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: I am advised that available figures are as follows:
	
		
			   Directorate 
			   Central HO  IND  HMPS 
			 1997 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1998 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1999 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2000 1 n/a n/a 
			 2001 14 n/a 1,174 
			 2002 15 n/a 1,373 
			 2003 18 n/a 1,475 
			 2004 13 n/a 1,393 
			 2005 6 114 1,360 
			 2006 10 47 317

Student Visas

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas student visa holders there were in the UK in each of the last five years; and in how many cases in each year the student  (a) (i) did not register and (ii) failed to attend a course and  (b) worked more than 20 hours a week.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not hold central records of student offenders.

Superannuation Liability

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what total amount of employers' normal contributions accruing superannuation liability charge has been accounted for by his Department in each of the last five years for which data are available.

Liam Byrne: The amount of employers' accruing superannuation liability charges (ASLC) in respect of members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is detailed as follows, for the last four years. The figures represent the total ASLC paid by the Home Office, its agencies, non-departmental public bodies and all other public bodies on the Home Office payroll.
	The Home Office changed its payroll system during the 2001-02 financial year. To collate ASLC figures for this year would require more manual checking and verification using paper records from the previous payroll system. The information for this year could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			
			 2005-06 236,044,265.37 
			 2004-05 236,043,234.83 
			 2003-04 226,228,555.12 
			 2002-03 205,645,836.05 
			  Note: From 1 October 2002 new entrants have been able to opt for a partnership pension account, a stakeholder arrangement with an employer contribution element. Employers' contributions to partnership pension accounts are not included in the above figures.

Translation Services

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of translation and interpreting services for foreign nationals  (a) in prisons in England and Wales and  (b) supervised by the probation service.

John Reid: Neither the Prison Service nor the probation service separately record this category of expenditure.

Worker Registration Scheme

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1280W, on the Worker Registration Scheme, how many workers from EU accession countries are legally working in the UK, without being registered under the Worker Registration Scheme.

Liam Byrne: Nationals of the EU accession countries (other than Cyprus and Malta) are not working legally in the UK unless they are registered under the Worker Registration Scheme or are exempt from the requirement to do so. They are exempt if, for example, they have been working legally in the UK for 12 months or if they are working in a self-employed capacity, or are working for less than 30 days.

Worker Registration Scheme

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workers from EU accession countries have  (a) applied and  (b) been accepted under the Worker's Registration Scheme since 1 May 2004.

Liam Byrne: The latest published Accession Monitoring Report covers the period May 2004 to March 2006 and sets out the number of citizens from the EU Accession countries (A8 nationals) who have applied to register with the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) during this period. This report is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report

World Cup Tickets

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been in relation to the touting of tickets to England World Cup 2006 matches  (a) in England and Wales and  (b) via internet sites based in England and Wales; how many of these have resulted in convictions; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not available centrally. Arrest data for ticket-touting offences during 2005-06 football season are currently being collated and will be published later this year. Measures within the Violent Crime Reduction Bill will extend coverage of ticket touting offences to the internet when the unauthorised sale of tickets for a regulated football match takes place within England or Wales.

Young Offenders

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many young people aged 15 to 18 years are in young offender institutions because of breach of an antisocial behaviour order, broken down by institution;
	(2)  how many 15 to 18-year-olds are in each young offender institution as a result of breaching an antisocial behaviour order.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information is not available in the form requested.

Young Offenders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1066W, on young offenders, what mechanisms he uses to assess the progress of arrangements within young offender institutions designed to promote family contact.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Key policy requirements in relation to maintaining family contact through social visits, correspondence and by telephone are subject to review through local and national audit processes. In addition, establishments are, on occasion, subject to thorough inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons. Independent monitoring boards are also able to highlight good practice or areas of concern in their annual reports to the Secretary of State. Units accommodating under 18-year-olds are subject to monitoring by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
	Detailed information on the arrangements made by individual young offender institutions to promote and evaluate family contact is not held centrally.

Youth Offending Initiatives (Funding)

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much of the 500,000 allocated in June 2005 to fund individual support orders has been spent;
	(2)  how many youth offending teams have submitted plans to the Youth Justice Board for 2006-07 which include provision for individual support orders in the budget; and what guidance he plans to issue to the Youth Justice Board on plans which do not include such provision.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 21 June 2006
	The 500,000 allocated in June 2005 was available to the Youth Justice Board (YJB) until 31 March 2006 to fund individual support orders (ISOs) delivered by local youth offending teams (YOTs) to support juveniles with antisocial behaviour orders. 31 applications for funding in respect of ISOs have been received by the YJB for a total of 62,000 to 31 March 2006.
	As part of their plans for using the 45 million prevention budget for the period to March 2008, seven YOTs have included specific schemes for ISO interventions. All YOTs, however, are required to support interventions in support of ISOs whether or not there is a specific scheme. Such support may be delivered through another programme being funded through an allocation from this budget, such as a youth inclusion programme or a youth inclusion and support panel, or it may be provided through an existing programme. The use of ISOs is being actively promoted by the YJB and the Home Office, as an aid to helping YOTs fulfil their role in tackling antisocial behaviour, and action is in hand to ensure a better uptake.

Youth Rehabilitation Programmes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's budget is for rehabilitation programmes for youth offenders in 2006-07.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In 2006-07 the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) will receive a total of 96 million from the Home Office to be directed towards rehabilitation programmes. This sum comprises 34 million for intensive supervision and surveillance programmes (ISSP) and intensive fostering, 19.5 million for substance misuse programmes, 8.5 million for community education programmes and approximately 34 million for education programmes across the whole of the custodial estate.
	Youth offending teams (YOTs) are primarily funded locally by their statutory partners as well as by the YJB and a proportion of that local funding will also be directed to rehabilitation programmes.